US2278385A

US2278385A - Electric lamp socket

Info

Publication number: US2278385A
Application number: US334112A
Authority: US
Inventors: Felix J Watts
Original assignee: UTILITY PATENT TRUST NO 17938
Current assignee: UTILITY PATENT TRUST NO 17938
Priority date: 1940-05-09
Filing date: 1940-05-09
Publication date: 1942-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 1959-03-31

Description

F. J. WATTS ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET Marh 31, 1942.

Filed May 9, 1940 :5 M" Z NW 5,

A L n Patented Mar. 31, 1942 UNITED STATE- ELECTRIG LAIVIP SOCKET Felix J. Watts, Detroit, :Mich., assignor to Utility Patent Trust No. 17,938, Union Guardian Trust 00., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan 1940, Serial No. 334,112

Application May 9,

8 Claims. (01. 173- 339) This invention relates to improvements in electric lamp sockets and more particularly to a socket provided with means to hold the socket in locked relation upon a support.

There are many instanceswhere it is desirable to position an electric lamp-upon a supportin such a manner that the lamp may be'readily attached to the support and yet insure its attachment against excessive vibration. For instance, in the present automotive vehicles electric lamps are employed'to illuminate the instruments upon the instrument board of the vehicles, in tail lights, signal lights, and other places where it is difficult to apply the lamp andsocket from the front of the support and whenapplied it is most desirable that the vibrations ofthe vehicle do not loosen the attachment to cause the lamp to become inoperative or the socket detached from the support. v y

It is an object of this invention to provide a socket to receive an electric lamp bulb -with means that will allow the lamp and socket to be inserted through the back of a'bracket to support it on the instrument board or through the casing of a tail or signal light and lock the socket thereto against detachment by vibration of the socket support and yet allow the socket to be readily detached by hand.

It is another object of this invention to providev means when the lamp is used to illuminate the lens of a signal light, which usually does not employ a reflector, to register the filament of the lamp when the lamp socket is attached to the casing of the signal light to present its greatest lighting effect. o

With these and other objects in view, reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawing which illustrates a preferred form of this invention with the understanding that detail changes may be made without departing from thescope thereof.. V 1

In the drawing: I

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of this improved socket assembled with the lamp in place withina signal light, showing the housing to which the socket is attached in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1 with the lamp removed,- showing the housing and lens in section. .7 Figure 3 is a projected view of the parts of Figure 1, shownin perspective. In the embodiment of this invention illustrated, it is preferable to provide the support I with a circular opening 2 having two or more radial slots 3 through which the lamp 4 and the lamp receiving member of the socket with the locking means may be inserted. The socket 5 is a tubular member having an annular right-angular flange 6 at the open end adapted to engage the rear of the support 'I andmounts within the tubular portion a lamp receiving member 1 preferably of the usual split sleeve type having bayonet slots 8 for receiving the usual lamp base pins 9. Support connectors for-the lamp of commercial form are preferably mounted upon a disc ll] of insulating material secured in the end of the socket 5 opposite the flangedportion. I

The improved means of releasably locking the socket 5 with the flange 6 in engagement with the rear of the'support against detachment includes a cylindrical member II of resilient material, such as springjmetal, of a diameter to be received within the opening 2 of the support. oppositely disposed tongues l2 are provided depending from the cylinder which are passed through apertures l3 provided therefor upon the annular flange 6 and their ends bent to engage the under side of the flange to rigidly secure'the cylindrical locking member ll to'the socket 5. Slits M are provided in the cylindrical surface on each side of each tongue I! and the body of the member I l on each side of each tongue bearing portion and separated-therefrom is provided with diametrically opposite struck-out portions or flanges 15 of a size to freely pass through the radial slots 3 of the circular opening 2 in the support. These flanges or looking members 15 are preferably struck out at an angle to the annular flange 6 of the socket 5, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and are so arranged that when the member II is passedthrough the opening 2 with the members l5 passing through the slots 3 and the socket 5 is rotated to the right, the flanges l5 will be caused to ride over the body of the support and place the body of the member I i under tension, in other words, the portions of the cylindrical member ll between the continuous slots 14 act as springs holding the outstanding members or flanges l5 in contact with the adjacent surface of the support and drawing the flange 6 into engagement with the opposite side ofthe support. V 7

It is preferable to construct the lamp receiving member I to extend slightly aboveithe top of thelocking member II and spin over the metal at the top to close the opening between the body of the lamp receiving'members -l, as shown in Figures land 3. a a I It is customary in electric lamps, such as the lamp 4, used intail lights or signal lights, to

mount the lamps filament I6 in the form of a coil in a horizontal plane between connecting wires I! so that if there is no reflector placed back of the filament the maximum amount of light passing through the lens would not be obtained unless the placing of the filament was positioned parallel to the face of the lens. invention contemplates the provision of means to bring the filament I6 in position to project the maximum amount of light through the said signal light lens L when the lamp and lamp. socket have been attached to the bottom I of the housing H. This is accomplished by determining the proper relation between the slots 3 in the bottom of the housingHwhich forms the support I and the amount of rotation of ,the socket in the opening 2 to produce the required location of the filament and then striking up'a curved tongue I8 upon the annular flange 6 of the socket 5 to enter one of the slots 3 upon rotation and to engage the free end of the tongue I8-with the body ofthe support at the otherside ofthe'slot3. 1

By this construction the'lamp 4 may be mounted .in the socket andheld in engagement'by the bayonet slots 8 in the member! and'then passed through the opening 2 in the support I with the flanges or outstanding portions. I5 passing throughthe slots 3and*.upon* rotation to the right until the stop or end of the tongue I8 engages the body of the support at one side of the slot 3, the socket 5 is secured against vibration with. the lamp filament I6 positioned to g'ivethe maximum amount of light projecting through the lens L of the light housingI-l and as the tongue I8 is curved the socket :5 may be readily detached by manually rotating it in the reverse direction until the locking flanges -I5 register with'the' support slots '3.

' What I claim'is: I

1. The combination of a support havinga circular opening therein with radial slots formed in the body of the support with an electric lamp socket having an annular flange at one end adapted to engage the rear of the support, said flange mounting a perforated inverted cupshaped spring locking member adapted to pass through the opening in the support allowing the base of an electric lamp to pass through the perforation for mounting in the socket, said locking member having side walls spaced apart from the perforation with members struck out from said side wallsadapted to be passed through the said slots in the opening in the support, and upon rotation to engage the outer surface of the support and draw the socket flange into engagement with the opposite surface of the support.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the sides of the inverted cup-shaped member on each side of the struck out members are slotted and are joined to each other by the integral annular turned-in top.

3. Means for detachably locking an electric lamp socket to a support having a circular opening with radial slots with the lamp socket includ-, ing a cylindrical casing mounting a lamp receiving member and that end of the casing provided with a right-angular annular flange adapted to engage the body of the support about said opening, said annular flange having secured thereto a perforated inverted cup-shaped resilient looking means having depending side walls spaced apart from the perforation passing about the lamp receiving member and having a plurality of outstanding ears formed in the sides thereof This s adapted to pass through the opening slots and upon rotation detachably lock the socket to the support.

4. Means for detachably locking an electric lamp socket to a supporting lamp housing having a circular opening with radial slots provided in the housing to receive the lamp and the lamp socket including a cylindrical casing mounting a lamp receiving member and that end of the casing provided with a right-angular annular flange adapted to engage the body of the support about said opening, said annular flange having secured thereto a perforated inverted cup-shaped resilient locking means passing about the lamp receiving .member and having depending side walls spaced apart-from the perforation with a plurality 01f outstanding ears formed in the said side walls adapted to pass through the opening slots and upon rotation detachably lock the socket to the support, said annular flange being provided with a curved struck uptongue' between the wall of the cup-shaped member and th 'periphery-of the flange adapted to ride into one of the slots during rotation of the socket and engage the body of the support to limit the rotation of the socket. 5. A look socket for an electric lampincluding a cylindrical casing open at oneend and provided about that end with an "annular "flange, a lamp receiving member mounted Within the socket and electrical connections mou'nt'edinthe opposite end of the socket; 1a perforated inverted cupshaped member having depending side walls spaced apart from the perforation mounted on the socket flange adapted to be passed through a cylindrical opening in alamp socket support, and means on the sides of the cup-shaped member adapted to engage the body of the] support upon one side and draw the annulargflangeinto engagement with the other side of the socket, and wherein the cup-shaped member is of resilientmaterial and is provided with depending tongues adapt'ed'to be passed 'fth'rough slits provided therefor in the annular flange and be 'secured to said flange, and wherein'the walls of said cup-shaped member are provided with slots on each side of the depending tongues dividing the cylindrical walls and the two sections integral with the perforated top of ,saiyilgm ember, I

6. A look socket for an electric lamp including a cylindrical casingflopen at oneend and provided about that end with an annular flange, a lamp receiving member, mounted within the Sock-1 et and electrical connection s mounted in the opposite end of the socket, a perforated inverted cup-shaped member having depending side walls spaced apart from the'perforation mounted on the socket flange adapted to be passed through a cylindrical opening in a lamp socket support, and means on the sides of the cup sihaped member adapted to engage the body of the support upon one side and draw the annular flange into engagement with the other, side of ,the socket, and wherein the cup-shaped member is of resilient material and is provided withdepending tongues adapted to be passed thrqu h slits pro-' vided therefor in the annular flange and be secured to said flange, and wherein the walls of said cup-shaped member are provided with slots on each side of the depending tongues dividing the cylindrical walls and the two sections integral with the perforated top c: saidmember, and wherein the means to' engageth'e" body" of the su p rt are formed integral with ea'ch of thedivided sections.

7. A look socket for an electric lamp including a cylindrical casing open at one end and provided about that end with an annular flange, a lamp receiving member mounted within the socket and electrical connections mounted in the opposite end of the socket, a perforated inverted cup-shaped member having depending side walls spaced apart from the perforation mounted on the socket flange adapted to be passed through a cylindrical opening in a lamp socket support, and means on the sides of the cup-shaped member adapted to engage the body of the support upon one side and draw the annular flange into engagement with the other side of the socket, and

wherein the cup-shaped member is of resilient material and is provided with depending tongues adapted to be passed through slits provided therefor in the annular flange and be secured to said flange, and wherein the walls of said cup-shaped member are provided with slots on each side of the depending tongues dividing the cylindrical walls and the two sections integral with the perforated top of said member, and wherein the support engaging means are in the form of ears vided about that end with an annular flange, a lamp receiving member mounted within the socket and electrical connections mounted in the opposite end of the socket, a perforated inverted cup-shaped member having depending side walls spaced apart from the perforation mounted on the socket flange adapted to b passed through a cylindrical opening in a lamp socket support, and means on the sides of the cup-shaped member adapted to engage the body of the support upon one side and draw the annular flange into engagement with the other side of the socket,

and wherein the cup-shaped member is of resilient material and is provided with depending tongues adapted to be passed through slits provided therefor in the annular flange and be secured to said flange, and wherein the walls of I said cup-shaped member are provided with slots struck out from the bottom of the wall section on each portion between the contiguous dividing slots.

8. A lock socket for an electric lamp including a cylindrical casing open at one end and proon each side of the depending tongues dividing the cylindrical walls and the two sections integral with the perforated top of said member, and wherein the support engaging means are in the form of cars struck out from the bottom of the wall section on each portion between the contiguous dividing slots, and wherein the outstanding ears are formed at an angle to the annular flange on the socket.

FELIX J. WATTS.