US2280747A - Socket - Google Patents

Description

G. H. BURT April 21, 1942.

`SOCKET v Filed Feb. 21, 1941 2 Shee ts-Sheet l LA ,4. aal/3m IN VEN TOR. Gary .H B15/ BY www A TTORNEYS.

April 21, 1942. G H BURT 2,280,747

SOCKET A Filed Feb. 2l, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN1/EN Tim ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 21, 1942 I UNITED STATES lPATENTV OFFICE SOCKET Guy H. Burt, Edgewood, R. I.

Application February 21, 1941, Serial No. 380,023

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device for holding a fluorescent lamp and also the starter thereof; and has for one of its objects to provide a combination socket for both the lamp and the starter which will enable a simple and easy installation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an indication of the direction in which the lamp is to be moved to remove the lamp from the socket.

Another object of the invention is to provide resilient gripping arms for the starter which will enable the contacts of the starter to be positively gripped completely independent of the base in which they are mounted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contact in the starter base which will grip the contact of the starter even though the base may be cracked, chipped or mutilated in and about the parts which support the contact in the base.

Another object of the inventionis'to provide a starter socket which will not loosen its hold upon the starter contacts even though the same be subjected to vibration or shock.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a simple installation of the starter by rotating the starter through a small arc to positively lock the same in position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an improved larrip socket with a Iragmental portion o1' a lamp shown in dotted lines therein; l

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the lamp holder;

Fig. 3 is a rear plan view of the starter base section;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the starter removed from position:

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the starter; and Fig. '7 is a plan view of the resilient contact gripping arms removed from the base.

Fig. 8 is a face view of a starter unit; Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a different form o! contact members;

Fig. 10 is a section on line I0-I0 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the contact members shown in Fig. 9.

In the use of fluorescent lighting, it is necessary in addition to the providing of a socket for the lamp to provide a starter in order that illumination may occur, and I have provided sockets for both lamp and starter in one unit. When the lamp is in position covering the socket in which it is inserted, it is diiiicult for one to know in which direction to move the lamp to remove it from the socket. In order that this may be overcome I have provided visible means indicating the direction in which the lamp must be moved for removing it from the socket. In order that the starter may be positively held even though chipping or rupture of its base may have occurred, I have provided a pair oi arms for resiliently gripping each contact of the starter and mounted these independently in the base; and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawings, I0 designates the starter base section and II, the lamp base section. These two sections each consist of some insulating material and are held together in generally right-angular relation by suitable bolts.

The starter base section I0 is provided with recesses I2 and I3 on one side with holes I4 and I5 connecting with the recess I6 on the other side. In the recess I2 I have provided a contact I1, while a similar contact Il is also provided in the recess I3. Each of these contacts I1 consists of a piece of resilient wire bent to provide a pair of arms I8 and I9 extending from a connecting bridge portion 20. The arm I9 is bent outwardly asv at 2I to provide a notch 22, while the arm I8 is bent inwardly to provide a projection 23, both sufficiently conned by reason of the spacing of the arms I8 and I9 so as to grip the contact which may be moved into the notch 22 and be held in this position against both of the arms by the inclined portion 24 of the projection 23.- The arm I9 is also bent inwardly as at 25 so as to receive the unrecessed portion 28 of the base, and provide a fulcrum point for the arm I9. A piece of sheet stock 21 is secured to the connecting portion 20 such, for instance, as by solder or welding and provides a suitable connection for the screw 28 which may be threaded thereinto. The contact in the recess I3 has a little differently shaped sheet stock connected thereto, there being an arm 29 extending from the sheet stock member 30 seated in another recess 3| in this base section. There is also a corresponding sheet stock member 32 seated in the companion recess 33 in the base. A cover 34 may be secured in position by means of suitable Iastenings 35 to cover the contacts in their recesses I2 and Il.

-In Figs. 9, 10 and 11, I have illustrated the contacts as each cut out of a single piece of sheet stock rather than folded from wire and bent as heretofore described. The contacts are designated generally I1' and each (see Fig. 11) consists of a sheet of stock cut out to provide a pair of arms Il and I9' joined as at 20 with an opening between them. The shaping of the arms provides notches 22' in the arm I8'1and I9' back of projections 23' with the surfaces of these notches and projections so spaced as to spring apart as a contact is forced between the projection to locate in the notches and grip a contact which may be' moved into these notches and held in this position by the resilience of the arms. The sheets of stock from which this construction is cut are bent as at 25 to provide portion 26', and one of the contacts is then bent again at right angles as at 21 where a slot 28' is provided for the reception of the. screw 53. The otherarm has a screw 28 provided in its downwardly extending portion 26 to which a lead wire may be connected. Each of these contacts is located in the same recesses I 2 and I3 as are the contacts previously described, while the other parts of the assembly are the same in this modification as previously described. This arrangement; illustrates that the contacts may be made of a single piece of stock in a different manner; and in fact, in this arrangement even the connecting plates may be of the same piece of stock as the contact arms, thus eliminating the necessity of attaching the plates by soldering or welding to the arms such as is necessary in the showing in Figs. 3 and 4.

The starter, designated 36, has a pair of contacts 31 and 38 projecting therefrom. The socket I6 is of a size to receive the cylindrical portion 36 of the starter, while the contacts 31 and 38 may be passed through the larger portion of the openings I4 and I5. These openings narrow in the portions I4 and I5' and are of such shape as to permit turning of the starter through a small arc after the contacts 31 and 38 are passed through the larger portion of the openings I4 and I5 so that these contacts will move into the smaller portion of the openings I4 and I5. As the contacts pass through the larger portion of the openings I4 and I5, they also pass through the larger portion 39, 39 between each of the arms, but as turning occurs through this small arc, the contacts move into the smaller portion between the arms and each contact will enter the notch 22, 22 snapping by the projection 23, 423 so that the inclined wall 2i, 24' of the projection 23, 23 will hold the contact in the notches 22, 22. The recess 4|J in each of the contacts 31 and 38 will engage the rounded portion of the wire i1 or edge of the sheet stock of the contact I1 of the spring arms and will together with the undercut Shanks extending beneath the Wall V4| hold the starter in its socket.

The lamp socket base II has recesses -45 and 48 in which there are contacts 41 and 48. The contact 41 has an L-shaped portion reinforced by a plate 49, and the contact 48 has an L-shaped portion reinforced by a plate 50. These l..shaped portions with their reinforcements extend across the ends of the recesses and are located in slots 5| and 52 for the mounting of these spring arms in position. Bolts 53 and 54 extend through the plates 30 and 32 to bind the starter base section and the lamp base section together, while pro-- viding electrical connection between them. Channels 55 and 56 extend from the end of the base I I inwardly, longitudinally and then laterally to provide sockets 51 and 58 for the reception of contact pins on the end of the fluorescent tube 59.

In operation it is merely necessary to position the two pins in the channels 55 and 56, the pin in channel 55 forcing the end 80 of the contact 41 to the right, as shown in Fig, 2, as it moves into its seat 51 which at the same time moves the pin entering channel 56 over against the contact end 6I of the spring arm 48 so that firm engagement wm be had.

lWhen the tube 59 is in position and covers the seats, one cannot observe the direction in which the tube must be moved for disconnection; and accordinglyV in order that the direction of the channels from the sockets 51 and 58 can be determined, they are designated by a marker 62 (see Fig. 1).

Wires leading to this unit will be to connection 28 with a circuit passing therefrom through the starter into contacts and socket I3, thence to and through the bolt 53, through the light and out through bolt 54, plate 32 and thence out through a wire in channel 83. The channel 63 and terminal 28 are thus both on the same side of the unit, for the convenience of making connection thereof.4

I claim:

A contact element comprising a sheet metal body portion having a pair of sheet metal arms lying in a common plane and extending from the body with free ends, both of said arms being enlarged at their free ends, one of said arms being straight and the other of said arms being arcuate in shape and directed away from the straight arm as it extends from the body and then approaching the free end of the straight arm to sprovide a relatively large opening adjacent the juncture of the arms with the body and a more restricted space between the arms along their free end portions, said space being so restricted as to cause the bordering edges to grip a pin when positioned in said space, and notches in the. edges of said arms along said restricted space, the edges of said arms forming said opening being curved to guide the movement of a pin positioned in said opening tov the restricted space between said arms.

GUY H. BURT.

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