US2027583A - Electric switch for electric lamp sockets - Google Patents

Description

ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKETS Filed Dec. 2, 1931 2 Shee-ts =She et 1 Jan 14 1936 T. FINIZIE ET AL 2&27583 ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKETS Filed Dec.

2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTEH E TUMAN 'Flwlzalz GEEIFRGE HENRy ELWELL Patented Jan. 14, 1936 ATEN'E' OFICE ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LAlVIP SOCKETS Tomun Finizie and G eorge Henry Elwell. New

poration of Connecti cut Application December 2, 1931, Serial No. 578,536

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to electric switches for electric lamp sockets. Electric lamp sockets having no provision for a switch element are naturally of shorter axial length than sockets within which space is reserved for the insertion of a switch element. The socket containing the improved switch however, although provided with a switch element, maintains the shorter length by means of pivotally mounting the switch element upon the washer of insulation and within the cap of the socket shell. This arrangement readily presents the opportunity to employ a pivotally mounted switch-bar adapted to swing to either of two positions to close or open an electric current simultaneously at two places in the circuit to render, upon an open circuit, the screw-shell and center contacts of the lamp socket absolutely dead, thus providing a safety feature of novel character. Therefore the objects of the invention are to provide an electric switch element for a lamp socket within .which the space, usually reserved for a switch element, is eliminated; to provide for an electric lamp socket a switch element mountable upon a washer of insulation material; to provide a safety switch element operable to simultaneously open or close an electric circuit at opposite poles; and to provide a pull-chain switch element pivotally suspended from, and operable in planes parallel to, a washer of insulation With these and other objects in view as may become apparent from the within disclosures, the invention consists not only of the particular form herein pointed out and illustrated by the drawings, but readily admits of certain modifications within the scopeof what hereinafter may be claimed.

The character of the invention may be best understood by reference to one illustrative device embodying the invention and illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which the Figure 1 is an upright elevation of a lamp socket provided with the improved switch element; the Figure 2 is a cross-section of a lamp socket illustrating the improved switch element; the Figure 3 is a top view of a washer of insulation and parts supported thereby; the Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the Figure 3 rotated 186 degrees about a vertical axis in the plane of the sheet of drawings; the Figure 5 is a top view of the switch-bar; the Figure 6 is a view of the operating lever; the Figure 7 is an edge view of the separated parts of the switch element in the order of their suspended relation; the Figure 8 is a bottom view of the washer of insulation, illustrating full and dotted line positions of the switch-bar; and the Figure 9 is a top view of a second washer of insulation. 1

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the general structure of the electric lamp socket. as illustrated is somewhat of the usual form wherein there is employed the outer casing I having the enlarged portion 2, removably attached to the nippled cap 3 by any desired means, such as for instance the projections 4 and perforations 5, the enlarged portion 2 of the casing I containing the fixed washer of insulation 6 supporting the insulation sleeve 1, the screw-shell contact 8 and the center contact 9. Thus far the structure is old, excepting that the enlarged portion 2 of the casing I is materially reduced in length as compared with that portion of the usual outer casing provided space therein for the insertion of a switch element, the elimination of such space and consequent shortening of the casing I therefore forming one of the features of this invention. An important factor of this invention is the mounting of an electric switch element upon the washer of insulation 6 instead of upon a block of insulation material usually inserted within the socket between the washer 6 and the cap 3. While the switch element thus mounted upon the washer 6 may be of any practical form, a preferred form as illustrated includes the post It axially suspended from the center of the washer 6 Within the cap 3. Surrounding the post it and mounted or formed upon the under side of the washer 6, in any desired manner, are the spaced spherical projections II. Upon the same side of the washer I; the conductive plates I2 and I3 are also fixedly mounted, each equidistant upon opposite sides of the'spherical projections II, the plate I2 being conductively connected with an arm I l 01" the flange I5 of the screw-shell contact 8, by means of the metal rivet It, and the plate I3 being conductively connected with an arm II of the center contact 9 by means of the metal rivet I8. In a plane parallel with the washer 6 is the second washer of insulation l9 rigidly suspended from the washer 8 by means of the U-shaped brackets 20 and 2i, each riveted to both washers 6 and I9 and providing line terminals to which line wires (not illustrated), each inserted into the cap 3 and through a perforation 22 of the washer I9, may be attached by means of the screws 23 and 24, each bracket it and RI having an integral portion, 25 and 26, respectively, lying in the plane of the conductive plates I2 and I3, the portion 25 of the bracket 20 being spaced from the conductive plate I2 and the portion 26 of the bracket 2! being spaced from the conductive plate l3. The switch-bar 21 of insulation material is pivotally mounted upon the post l and the upper side of the bar 2? is provided, in any desired manner, with the spherical projections 28 encircling the post H3 and each spherical projection 28 engageable between spherical projections II of the washer 6. Carried by opposite extremities of the switch-bar 21 are the conductive plates 29 and 35, the conductive plate 29 being engageable, as illustrated by the Figure 2, with the conductive plate l2 and the portion 25 of the bracket 20 to conductively bridge the plate l2 and the portion 25 and, simultaneously therewith, the conductive plate 33 is engageable with the conductive plate l3 and the portion 26 of the bracket 2! to conductively bridge the plate l3 and the portion 25, thus closing the circuit traceable from the line terminal at the screw 23 through the bracket 20, the portion 25, the plate 29 of the switch-bar 21, plate l2, the rivet l6, the arm ll of the flange IS, the flange l5, the screw-shell 8, the metal base 31 of the electric lamp bulb 32, the lamp filament (not illustrated), the lamp center contact 33, the center contact 9 of the electric lamp socket, the arm ll of the center contact 9, the rivet I8, the conductive plate l3, the conductive plate 33 of the switch-bar 27, the portion 23 of the bracket 2|, the bracket 2|, and to the other line terminal at the screw 24. The under side of the switchbar 27 is provided, in any desired. manner, with a surface ratchet formation 34. The operating lever 35 also of insulation material is pivotally mounted upon the post l3, and the upper side of the lever 35 is provided in any desired manner with a surface ratchet formation 36 adapted, when moved in one direction, to interlock with the ratchet formation 34 and carry the switch-bar 21 a quarter turn. A coiled spring 31, surrounding the post I0 and having one end attached to the operating lever 35 and the opposite end attached to the washer is, serves as a compression spring to provide a tension for maintaining the lever 35 and the switch-bar 21 in an upwardly spring-pressed relation to the washer 6, the spring 3? also providing a winding and unwinding tension to return the lever 35 to its normal at-rest position, the bracket 2| if desired, may serve as a stop for engagement by the lever 35. The lever 35 is provided with the usual arcuate groove 38 within which the chain 39 is mounted, the pulling of the chain 38 being adapted to move. the lever 35, and hence the switch-bar 27 carried thereby, a quarter-turn against the tension of the spring 3'! which returns the lever 35 when released, while the switch-bar 21 remains in the advanced position to which it is moved by reason of the interengagement of the spherical projections H and 28 axially maintained by the spring 31. As the lever 35 is thus advanced a quarter turn from the position illustrated by the Figure 2 to the dotted position illustrated by the Figure 8, the spherical formations 38 of the switch-bar 2'! suddenly ride up and over the spherical formations H of the washer 6 and again interlocked but relatively advanced one step, the spherical formations 23 and H thus providing a cam 'movement to suddenly separate the conductively engaging plates 29 and 33 from the plate and portion 12 and and from the plate and portion l3 and 23, respectively, thus simultaneously opening the circuit in both lines leading to their respective poles. A further quarter turn of the lever 35 likewise carries the switch bar 21 to again contact its plates 29 and 30 with the plates and portions !2-25 and [3-26, respectively, to simultaneously close both lines of the electric circuit.

We claim:

1. A switch element for an electric lamp socket having a casing comprising interlocked cap and shell members, a washer of insulation held between the interlocked cap and shell, screw-shell and center contacts supported by the shell side of said washer, the switch element being mounted upon the opposite side of said washer and wholly within said cap member, the switch element including two fixed pairs of spaced metal plates, the plates of one pair being conductively connected, one with the screw-shell contact and the other with a line terminal, and the plates of the other pair being conductively connected, one with the center contact and the other with a second line terminal, and a pivotally operable switch bar of insulation material having a conductive plate upon each of its extremities and adapted to conductively bridge each pair of said fixed plates to close both lines of an electric circuit.

2. A switch element for an electric lamp socket having a casing comprising interlocked cap and shell members; a washer of insulation held between the interlocked casing members; screwshell and center contacts supported by the shell side of said washer and two pairs of fixedly spaced contacts provided by the cap side of said washer, the screw-shell and center contacts each having a conductive connection with one of each of said pairs of contacts, the other of each pair of contacts being connected with a line terminal, said switch element including a springpressed axially yielding switch-bar of insulation material and pivotally mounted upon said washer and within said cap for movement in a plane parallel to that of said washer, said switch-bar having conductive extremities, each adapted to bridge a pair of contacts, and means adapted, upon the rotation of said switch-bar, to suddenly engage or disengage said conductive extremities with said pairs of contacts to open or close a circuit.

3. A switch element for an electric lamp socket having a casing comprising interlocked cap and shell members; a washer of insulation held between the interlocked casing members; screwshell and center contacts supported by the shell side of said washer, and two pairs of fixedly spaced contacts provided in a common plane by the cap side of said Washer, the screw-shell and center contacts each having conductive connection with one of each of said pairs of contacts, I

the other of each pair of contacts being connected with a line terminal, said switch element including a spring-pressed axially yielding switch-bar of insulation pivotally mounted upon said washer and within said cap member for movement in a plane parallel to that of said washer, said switch-bar having conductive extremities, each adapted to bridge a pair of contacts; fixed spaced cam-faced obstacles with which said washer is provided in the path of other spaced cameiaced obstacles carried by said switch-bar, and means adapted to rotate the axially yielding switch-bar over said obstacles to thereby suddenly engage or disengage said conductive extremities with said pairs of contacts to close or open a circuit.

4. A switch element for an electric lamp socket comprising a suitable casing enclosing insulation material having opposite surfaces and supporting upon one surface screw-shell and center contacts and upon the other surface a switch element including in a common plane two fixed pairs of spaced metal plates, the plates of one pair being conductively connected, one with the screw-shell contact and the other with a line terminal, and the plates of the other pair being conductively connected, one with the center contact and the other with a second line terminal; a spring-pressed axially yielding switch-bar of insulation rotatably mounted upon a post supported by the enclosed insulation material, said switch-bar having conductive extremities; fixedly spaced cam-surfaced obstacles provided by the enclosed insulation material in the path of other cam-surfaced obstacles carried by said switch-bar, and a pull-chain mechanism adapted to rotate the axially yielding switch-bar over said obstacles thereby suddenly raising and dropping the switch-bar to disengage and engage said conductive extremities 10 with said fixed pairs of metal plates to open and close a circuit.

TOMUN FINIZIE.

GEORGE HENRY ELWELL.

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