US2223273A

US2223273A - Light emitting element mounting

Info

Publication number: US2223273A
Application number: US288877A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles M Slessman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1939-08-07
Filing date: 1939-08-07
Publication date: 1940-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 1957-11-26

Description

NOW 26, 1940 c. M. sLEssMAN Y 2,223,273

LIGHT EMITTING ELEMENT MOUNTING med Aug. 7, 193s C3. M. S/e sem am @M @m f WW Patented Nov. 26,

i UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE The invention relates generally to signs of the trafc marking or advertisement displaying types, and primarily seeks to provide a novel, simply and economically constructed mounting for the light emitting elements employed in such signs to dene the display thereon.

In its more. detailed nature, the invention resides in the provisionof a sleeve-like shell in one end of which a light emitting element such as a reflecting lens of glass or other suitable material is secured and which is insertable through and removable from a receiving aperture in a mounting plate, said shell having apertures in portions of its dening wall and ter- 5 minating just inwardly of said plate, and a locking member confined within the shell and having spring fingers yieldably projected through said apertures for locking engagement at the inner face of said plate.

Another object of the invention is to provide an element mounting of the nature stated in whichthe spring fingers include portions angularly disposed with respect to the mounting plate so that the fingers will be displaced inwardly by the plate as the element is inserted into the receiving aperture and will spring out into element locking `position as they pass through the plate aperture.

Another object of the invention is to provide an element mounting of the naturestated in which the spring fingers and apertures cooperate to provide the sole means for holding the shell and the locking member in assembly.

With the above and other objects in view which Will more fully appear,`the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by following the description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a central vertical cross section through an element mounting embodying the in vention.

' of Figure 1 in bottom and top plan respectively yand removed from the mounting plate.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, the locking'ngers being illustrated as displaced inwardly by contact with the mounting plate during insertion of the mounting shell into the plate aperture.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the locking member, in bottom plan and side elevation respectively, and removed from the mounting shell.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the mounting unitl Figure 7 is a detail perspective view illustrating a modied form of locking member.

In the example of embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, 5 designates the mounting plate of a traflic or similar sign to which the light emitting or reflecting units are to be afxed for the purpose of outlining the traic warning or other display. This plate may comprise the sole supporting portion of the sign or it may comprise only the face plate portion of a hollow box or similar structure. It is to be understood also that the invention comprehends the use of glass lenses or other light emitting units, and it is to be understood that thetterm light emitting is meant to embrace any suitable refiecting unit which `will reflect light from a light source before the sign, or any unit which will pass light therethrough. The illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein includes a light emitting element 6 which-permits light to pass from the rear face thereof through the body of the element and out beyond the front face of the light emitting surface.

In this particular illustration, the element B is in the nature of a reflecting lens provided with a suitable silvered or other reflecting surface 1. It is to be understood, of course, that instead of treating the inner surface of the element 6 as at l, it may be backed by any suitable reflecting element.

The element 6 is secured on an enlarged seat 8 and within the crimped retaining iiange 9 of a cylindrical mounting shell Ill. The seat Il4 and flange 9 are so shaped that they form a grooveway between them within which the edge portions of the element 6 are secured, and the enlarged seat portion 8 forms an abutment flange engageable with the mounting plate 5 for limiting insertion of the cylindrical shell I0 through the receiving aperture II formed in said plate. See Figure 1.

The cylindrical shell I0 is provided with a plurality of equidistantly spa-ced wall apertures I2, and it will be observed that the upper limits of these apertures lie substantially flush with the inner face of the mounting plate 5 when the units are wholly inserted into said plate in the ymanner illustrated in the said Figure l. When elements 6 of the light reecting type are employed,

the shell I0 may include a solid base portion I3.

` A locking member is mounted within the shell I0 and includes a base plate I4 and a plurality of equidistantly spaced locking fingers I5 each disposed in alignment with one of the wall apertures I2. 'Ihe ngers are springy or yieldable and it will be noted by reference to Figures 1, 4 and 6 of the drawing, that these ngers join with the base portion I4 as at I6, the connections at I6 being in the nature of spring hinges upon which the fingers i can readily flex inwardly and outwardly.

The body portion of leach nger I5 is disposed within the s' .ell I0 and normally is substantially parallel to the shell wall. At lts upper end, each nger I5 is bent outwardly as at Il to form a locking lug, and inwardly and downwardly as at I8 to form a cam portion. It will be observed by reference to Figures 1 and 4 of .the drawing that the locking lug portions I7 are curved on an arc struck from the spring hinge centers i6 and lie just inside the upper limits of the respective wall apertures I2. By thus curving the lug portions I'l extending through the apertures,they will always engage the shell at the edges of the apertures adjacent the end of the shell at which the ange 9 is located. Consequently the ngers I5 and their lugs Il constitute means ,for retain-V ing the assembled relation of the shell i@ and the locking memberv Id, I5 without the necessity of providing rivets, solder, brazing, or other securing media.

In mounting one of the light emitting units the end of the cylindrical shell I8 is inserted in an aperture Il in the mounting plate 5. As the shell is slid into the aperture the angularly disposed cam portions I 8 of the locking ngers i5 will engage the plate 5 and be displaced inwardly thereby in the manner illustrated in Figure 4. It will be observed by reference to Figures 1 and 4 of the drawing, that the space between the abutment iiange t and the locking lug portions I'I is substantially equal to the thickness of the mounting plate E. Thus as the abutment ange d contacts the outer face of the Vmounting plate 5 the locking lugs will spring outwardly to the position illustrated in Figure of the drawing and thereby securely lock the elements in position. Thus mounted, the units can be removed only by pressing the locking lugs inwardly to the position illustrated in Figure 4 so that they can pass freely through the plate aperture II.

In Figures 1 through 6 of the drawing the locking member is equipped with four equidistantly spaced locking ilngers. The invention is not limited to the provision of any particular number of such ngers, and in Figure 7 of the drawing there is illustrated a modiiied form of locking member in which only two locking lingers I 9 project from the base portion 20.

Itwill be observed by reference to Figure 1 of the drawing that the surface of the locking lug portion Il is angularly disposed with relation to the opposed inner face of the mounting plate 5,

*and this angularly disposed surface may serve to of structure and arrangement of parts may be variously changed and modiiled without departnig from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertable at one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a light emitting element at its other end, said shell having wall apertures therein, and a locking member mounted within said shell and having yieldable locking ngers provided with body portions located within said shell and with platecontacting portions projected through said wall apertures and engageable under said plate to prevent withdrawal of the unit from the plate aperture.

2. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertable at one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a light emitting element at its other end, said shell having Wall apertures therein, and a locking member removably mounted within said shell and having yieldable locking ngers provided with body portions located within said shell and with plate-contacting portions projected through said wall apertures and engageable under said plate to prevent withdrawal of the unit from the plate aperture, the plate-contactingportions of said fingers constituting means for retaining assembly of said shell and locking member,

3. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertable at one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a light emitting element at its other end, said shell having wall apertures therein, a locking member mounted within said shell and having yieldable locking ngers provided with body portions located within said shell and with plate-,contacting portions projected through said wall apertures and engageable under said plate to prevent withdrawal of the unit from the plate aperture, and means at said other end of said shell for securely holding said light emitting element and constituting an abutment limiting movement of the unit into the plate aperture.

4. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertable at one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a light emitting element at its other end, said shell having wall apertures therein, and a locking member mounted within said shell and having yieldable locking fingers each having a body portion disposed within the shell and normally being substantially parallel to the wall of the shell, each said nger being yieldable and including an outwardly bent lug portion projected through an associated one of said wall apertures to be engageable with the plate to prevent removal of the unit and an inwardly angled portion presented for ilnger displacing camming engagement with the plate during mounting of said unit.

5. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertable at one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying alight emitting element at its other end, said shell having wall apertures therein, and a locking member removably mounted within said shell and having yieldable locking ilngers disposed'within the shell but being provided with portions projected respectively through said wall apertures, said projecting portions being engageable under said plate to remove withdrawal of theunit from the plate aperture, said projecting finger portions also retaining said shell and locking member in assembled relation, said locking member including a base portion and each locking nger thereof being spring hinge connected with said base portion and including an outwardly bent lug portion engageable with the plate to prevent removal of the unit and an inwardly angled portion presented for nger displacing camming engagement with the plate during mounting of said unit, each said lug portion being curved on an arc struck from the respective spring hinge connection.

6. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell having an element receiving groove in one end forming an abutment shoulder and insertable at its other end into an aperture in a mounting plate, said shell having Wall apertures therein spaced from the abutment shoulder a distance equivalent to the thickness of a mounting plate, and a locking member mounted in said shell and having yieldable locking ngers movable on said locking member for projection through said wall apertures for engagement under the mounting plate to secure mounting of the unit in the aperture in said plate, the plate-engaging portions of said iingers being spaced from said abutment shoulder a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said plate, whereby said shoulder and the plate-engaging portions of said ngers are together cooperable with said vplate to hold said unit irmly in' place without apprecialble play axially oi said mounting plate aperture.

7. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell having an element receiving groove in one end forming an abutment shoulder and insertable at its other end into an aperture in a mounting plate, said shell having wall apertures therein spaced from the abutment shoulder a distance equivalent to the thickness of the mounting plate, and a locking member mounted in said shell and having yieldable locking lingers movable on said locking member for projection through -said wall apertures for engagement under the mounting plate to secure mounting of the unit in the aperture in -said plate, the portions of said ngers extending through said wall aper-` tures engaging the shell at the edges of the apertures at the ends thereof adlacent said first end of the shell, whereby outward movement of the locking member in the shell is prevented.

8. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell having an element receiving groove in one and forming an abutment shoulder and insertable at its other end into a mounting plate aperture, said shell having wall apertures therein spaced from the abutment shoulder a distance equivalent to the thickness of a mounting plate, and a locking member mounted in said shell and having locking fingers projected through said wall apertures for engagement under a mounting plate to secure mounting of the unit in the aperture in said plate, each said iinger being yieldable and including an outwardly bent lug portion engageable with a mounting plate to prevent removal of the unit and an inwardly angled portion presented for nger displacing camming engagement with said mounting plate during mounting of said unit.

9. A light emitting element mounting unit Vcomprising a shell having an element receiving projection through said wall apertures for engagement under the mounting plate to secure mounting of the unit in the aperture in said plate, the lportions of said fingers extending through said wall apertures engaging the shell at the edges of the apertures at the ends thereof adjacent said first end of the shell, whereby outward movement .of the locking member in the shell is prevented, said locking member including a base portion and each locking iinger thereof being spring hinge connected with said base portion and including an outwardly bent lug portion engageable with the plate to prevent removal of the unit and an inwardly angled portion presented for nger displacing camming engagement with the plate during mounting of said unit, each said lug portion being curved on an arc struck from the respective spring hinge connection.

10. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertable at one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a light emitting element at its other end, said shell having Wall apertures therein, abutment means limiting insertion of the shell into said aperture, and a locking member mounted within said lshell and having yieldable locking fingers having body portions disposed within said shell and projecting portions extending through said wall aperturesand engageable under said plateto prevent withdrawal of the unit from the plate aperture, said projecting portions of said locking ilngers being angularly disposed with relation to said plate whereby upon outward projection of said ngers through said wall apertures said angularly disposed portions will engage the plate and tend to draw the shell into the aperture to the extent permitted by said abutment means.

CHARLES M; SLESSMAN.