US2274400A

US2274400A - Manufacture of photoflash lamps

Info

Publication number: US2274400A
Application number: US315740A
Authority: US
Inventors: Margitta Michael J Neumann De
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: CBS Corp
Priority date: 1939-09-05
Filing date: 1940-01-26
Publication date: 1942-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 1959-02-24

Description

INVENTOR A/EMVl/YA/DEM/YKW/M.

Filqd Jan. 26, 1940 M. J. N. DE MARGITTA MANUFACTURE OF PHOTOFLASH LAMPS ATTORNEY Feb. 24, 1942.

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Patented Feb. 24, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURE or rrio'roFLAsn LAMPS Michael J. Neumann dc Margitta, New York,

N. Y., asslgnor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 26, 1940, Serial No. 315,74 In Hungary September 5, 1939 8 Claims.

This application is a. continuation-in-part of my copending application on improvements in Flashlamps, Serial No. 298,276, filed October 6, 1939.

The invention relates to lamps, and especially to photoflash lamps. is to provide a machine assembly for a cheap and i ya I Y Other objects and advantages of the invention .will be apparent from the following description and drawing in which;

Figure 1 is a front elevation with parts broken away of a preferred form of photoflash lamp.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through a preferred type of apparatus for assembling the photoflash lamp of Figure 1'.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views .in cross-section illustrating the various steps in the manufacture of the photoflash lamp with the apparatus illustrated in Figure 2. c

Figure 6 is an enlarged detailed view of the ,rim sealing step in the assembly of the photofiash lamp. 1

In Figure 1 is illustrated a preferred type of photofiash lamp described in my above-referred to application. This photofiash lamp comprises a closed end tubular casing or envelope to of plastic material, preferably cellulose acetate, al-

though various other compounds of the plastic group formed from resins, casein, pyroxylyn, shellac, etc. may be used.

The tubular casing or envelope ill has a. flange II at the open end which is sealed by a disk i2,

also preferably of a plastic material such as cel lulose acetate, and two conductors l3 and M are This application, in particular, describes a An object of the invention quick manufacture of photoflash lamps in quan' member 22, having a central shaft 23. extending through the bottom of the base member H, for the purpose of expelling when desired, the contents within the sleeve 2ll. The top portion 2|, of this member 22, is contoured to receive the top or envelope of the photoflash lamp, which is inserted with its top downward within the sleeve The position of the member. 22 within this base member, is so that the flange II will rest upon the upper edge 25 of the sleeve 20.

The'tubular casing or envelope i0 has been filled with the combustible material It, either prior to or after the tube has been inserted in the lower form H. The upper member comprises tubular member 26 having a central opening 21 of a diameter to fit snugly around the projection IQ of the lower base member. The lower member H has a compressible material 28, such as rubber, around the base of the projection i9 whereby the tubular member 26 may be forced into a substantially air-tight seal with the lower member H, as is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5.

Within the central borek2l of the upper member, is a central projection 29 having two holes 30 therein, in which the exterior connections of the conductors l3 and it maybe inserted and held therein, under some securingmeans, such as the spring 3|.

It will 'be noted that the base member i2 is thus held directly above the tubular portion ID, with the igniting means I5- pointing towards the interior of the tube held in the lower portion I1.

preferred apparatus for quickly .and cheaply manufacturing such a flashlamp in quantity production. The machine comprises a-lower base portion. ll whose upright projecting portion is has a central opening i8 therein, extending downwardly. Within the central opening I8 is a movable'sleeve 20 having an inner diameter approximately the outer diameter of the tubular casing or envelope ill of 'the flashlampj This movable sleeve 20 is preferably supported on a spring 2 I, from the bottom portion of the base ll.

In the bottom of the opening It is a. movable The sleeve 26 is lowered about the tubular projection l9, and the rubber material 28 is com-- pressed into .the substantially air-tight arrangement, as disclosed in Figure 3.

It will be noted that the surrounding sleeve 26,

has a port 32, located just above the flange of the inverted tubular casing I0 when this sleeve is lowered into theposition of Fig. 3. The bottom disc I2 with its igniting assembly; is' lowered, as illustrated in Figure 3, until it is in the neighborhood of this port. The central space 21 is substantially air-tight. The port 32 is connected to an exhausting machine for the removal of the air from the inner tube ll. Various ducts 33 are located in the lower case member .ll, so that there will be no air pockets about the'tubular casing in to cause adulteration of the active gas.

After the air has been exhausted, anactive ga's isinserted through the port 32 to fill the inte j rior tube Hi to the desired pressure. As previ-' ously stated, this atmosphere may be oxygen and preferably oxygen at a, pressure greater-than atmospheric.

The igniting device 15 on its base [I2 is then lowered .into the tubular casing Ill, so that the periphery oi the base l2,presses against the upper surface of the flange H. A movable sleeve 34 is then lowered to press the base 02 against heat through the inner portions of the memberv 29. This heating means is in contact with the movable sleeve 34, which is of a material, such as copper, that will readily conduct the heat from the heating means to the plastic material. This material may also be of that used for high speed steels, chromium-silver-copper alloys, etc., that withstand the heat applied without oxidizing. The other parts may be of brass, steel or other suitable metals or alloys. The electric heater could be embedded in this material instead of in the central shaft.

An enlarged portion of the bottom edge of the fiashlamp, is disclosed in Figure 6. The hot cylinder 34 is pressing downward on the upper disc I2 in contact with the flange ll of the tubular casing [0. Under both the heat and pressure, the plastic material softens and then forms a homogeneous mass sealing the active gaseous atmosphere within the plastic casing ID.

The compression means, which may be manual, pneumatic-or hydrostatic, upon the bottom disc I! and the flange H, is removed and then the upper. portion of the assembling machine raised and the sealed and completed lamp is removed from the apparatus. While the sealing means has been shown as a single unit, it may be one unit in a multi-head machine. 1

It is apparent, many modifications may be made in the particular form and method of assembling this device, and accordingly I desire only such limitations to be imposed upon the preferred method and apparatus described herein, as are necessitated by the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of assembling the flanged envelope and base of a fiashlamp, which comprises juxtaposing an annular laterally projecting area of the flange upon a support thereby supporting the flanged end of .the envelope directly by its flange, juxtaposing the rim of the base adjacent to the laterally projecting area of the flange,

enclosing both the envelope and base, exhausting the atmosphere in said envelope and replacing it with an active gas, bringing the rim of the base into facial contact with the laterally projecting area of the flange, applying heat, and applying opposing pressure directly on the projecting area of the flange and on the rim of the base next the peripheries thereof for squeezing those parts together and thereby sealing the for filling said third member,-including said envelope with an active gas, and means for applying said base to said flange with heat and pressure to seal said envelope and base together.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a cylinder having a hollow center to hold one part to be sealed, a holding member for the other part having heating means therein adja- I for exhausting and filling purposes.

4. Apparatus for assembling the envelope of a lamp to a lamp base comprising a base member supporting said envelope, a movable member holding said lamp base above said envelope, a

movable sleeve pressing said lamp base on said envelope and heating means within said movable sleeve whereby saidenvelope and lamp base are sealed together.

5. Apparatus for assmbling the envelope of a lamp to a lamp base comprising, a base member supporting said envelope, a movable member holding said lamp base above 'said envelope, a movable sleeve pressing said lamp base on said envelope, heating means within said movable sleeve whereby said envelope and lamp base are sealed together, and a substantially air-tight casing enclosing the preceding envelope, lamp base, member, sleeve and heating means, said casing having a port for exhausting and filling purposes.

6. Apparatus for assembling the envelope of a lamp to a lamp base comprising a base member having a sleeve member supporting an edge of said envelope, an upper assembly, said upper assembly having an enclosing member surrounding the portion of said base member having said sleeve member, a movable sleeve member in said upper assembly having its edge adjoining the edge of said sleeve member in the base member and a supporting member in said upper assembly lowering the lamp base on the edge of the envelope for sealing said envelope and lamp base together.

7. Apparatus for assembling the envelope of a lamp to a lamp base comprising a base member having a sleeve member supporting an edge of said envelope, an upper assembly, said upper assembly having an enclosing member surrounding the portion of said base member having said sleeve member, a movable sleeve member in said upper assembly having its edge adjoining the edgeof said sleeve member in the base member, a supporting member in said upper assembly lowering the lamp base on the edge of the envelope, and means for supplying heat to one of said sleeve members whereby said envelope and base are sealed together.

8. Apparatus for assembling the envelope of a lamp to a lamp base comprising a base member having a sleeve member supporting an edge of said envelope, an upper assembly, said upper assembly having an enclosing member surrounding the portion of said base member having said sleeve member, a movable sleeve member in said upper assembly having its edge adjoining the edge of said sleeve member in the base member and a supporting member in said upper assembly lowering the lamp base on the edge of the envelope, and means for supplyingheat and pressure to one of said sleeve members whereby said envelope and base are sealed together.

MICHAEL J. NEUMANN Dr: MARGITTA.