US2282875A

US2282875A - Lamp socket

Info

Publication number: US2282875A
Application number: US297711A
Authority: US
Inventors: Adolf G Mueller
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1939-10-03
Filing date: 1939-10-03
Publication date: 1942-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1959-05-12

Description

y 12, 1942- A. ,G. MUELLER 7 2,282,875

LAMP SOCKET Filed Oct. 6,1959

I H V l :i'LNI IIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIAII 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA Inventor:

I Adolf GMueqlerfl His Attornqg.

.lamp from engagement with the socket.

Patented May 12, 1942 LAMP SOCKET Adolf 'G. Mueller, Stratford, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application October'3, 1989, Serial No. 297,711

21 Claims.

My invention relates to lamp sockets and more particularly to a lamp socket for an electrical device such as a tubular lamp, or the like.

It is an object of my invention to provide a lamp socket so constructed and arranged as to permit ready and easy removal of a lamp after it has been mounted thereon. Y

Another object of the invention is the provision of a lamp socket having means to release the In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tubular lamp provided;with a socket at each end constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the socket partially broken away showing the lamp in seated position; Fig..3'is a sectional view through the lamp socket; Fig. 4 is an exploded view showing the lamp socket elements; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the position of the lamp after operation of the releasing means, and Fig. 6 is a view .of the bottom of the socket. Referring to the drawing a tubular lamp, which may be of the well-known fluorescent type, is shown at I 0, the lamp being provided with spaced contact prongs l l at each end. The lamp is supported at each end by spaced lamp sockets 12 which are constructed to receive the contact prongs.

Tubular lamps of the type described have/attained wide use as decorative lights and are customarily utilized with a variety'bf ornamental fixtures. Many of these fixtures are provided with recesses little larger than the over-all dimensions of the lamp and, in addition, may be equipped with reflectors which snugly surround the lamp. These make it dificult for the fingers of an'operator to grasp the lamp to remove it from a fixture once it has been mounted therein.

To obviate these difliculties, I provide my lampj socket with a manually operable means to disengage the lamp from engagement with the sockat and to raise it out of the planes of the socket and associated fixtures, so that it may be easily grasped and removed from these devices.

Turning now to the construction of the lamp Merging with the slots l4 and ex- Each of the contact means comprises a spring blade member I 9 having a contact-engaging portion seated within the respective slot It. The contact-engaging portion is formed at one end of the contact member with an S-shaped configuration havinga curved surface 20 which closely engages the contact prong, as shown in Fig. 2, to hold it securely in position against the. edge of the guide slot it. Adjacent the curved surface 20 is an outwardly extending flared end surface Zl which engages the contact prong as it is inserted in the socketto spring the contact blade l9 outwardly, so that the contact prong may be moved to seated position. The curved surface 20 and flared end 2i-form the S-shaped prong engaging means aforementioned.

At their other ends the contact blades it. are secured by any suitable meanasuch as'a spot weld, to terminal members 22 which may be formed of relatively heavy strip stock in contradistinction mane flexible contact blades which maybe formed of spring bronze. Each terminal .plate is seated in a respective recess 23 formed in the bottom of the base and is provided with a stantially the same as that disclosed in the co- 2 pending application .of Joe Yoder,Se rial No.

239,625 filed November 9, 1938, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present application. In s'omecases, it is desirable to provide such av socket with a manually operable means to release the'lamp from engagement with the-socket. To this end, a member 26 is slidably mounted in a groove or opening .21 in the base l3. As shown moreparticularly by Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the member is disposedbetween the opposed contact ,mem-

bers I9 and-the groove 2'! is formed in the base intermediate the guide slots I4. At one end, the

memberextend above the outer or upper edge I 6 of the housing and at the other end the member is provided with beveled surfaces 28.which engage the contact blades l9 and flex them outa wardlyf away from the member whenever the latter is depressed. This means that when the member 26 is depressed or moved vertically in the guiding groove 21, it flexes the contact members and moves them out of engagement with the contact prongs ll.

While the manually operable member 26makes it possible to disengage thefllamp from the grip of the socket contact members-so that it may be easily lifted out of the socket, it is desirable to where itis engaged by the body of the lamp.

The other end of the spring is; bent in a reverse curve and is secured to a plate 30 of insulating material by any suitable means, such as a rivet 3!. The plate of insulating material closes the recesses 23 in the bottom of the base after the terminal members 22 have been inserted therein, and the plate is secured to the base by any suit-' able means, for example, the drive-pins 32. In this way, the contact members, as well as the spring 29, are held securely in position on the base. In order to'provide a recess 33 for the heads of the terminal screws,a barrier plate 34 of insulating material, such as sheet fiber, is mounted on the base by means of the insulating plate 30 which engages a turned-over edge or lip 35 of the barrier plate. To mount the lamp socket upon a supporting member, such as the sheet metal plate 36, a bolt and

nut

31 and 38,

respectively, are mounted on the insulating plate 30 and thehead of the bolt engages the supporting plate in the manner shown by Fig. 3. An opening 39 in the plate receives that portion of the base housing the terminal screw. The barrier plate 3| and the end of the base extend downwardly below the plane of the closure plate 30 into engagement with the opening 39 in the supporting member to position the socket, in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

It will be apparent from Fig. 2 that as the cont'act'prongs of the lamp are guided by the 3 slots [4 into seating engagement with the socket contact members, the body of the, lamp will engage the spring 23 and'flex it downwardly so that the spring is biased in a manner to force the lamp upwardly out of engagement with the lamp socket. However, the lamp is retained in seated position on the base, as shown by dotted line in Fig. 2, notwithstanding the biasing action of the spring 29 because the contact prong engaging portions of the contact members engage the contact prongs and hold them seated securely in position. When it is desired to remove the lamp from the lampholder, the manually operable member 26 is depressed thereby moving the contact members out of engagement with the contact prongs. When this occurs, the spring 23 is free to move the lamp out of engagement with the contact prongs and out of the plane of the lamp socket to the position shown in dotted line by Fig. 5. i 1

It will be seen that according to my invention it is possible to remove a lamp from a lamp socket merely by depressing the movable member 26. Inasmuch as the member extends for a distance above the upper edge of the lamp socket, it is easily accessible and readily engaged by the hand of the user. This means that my lamp socket is particularly adapted for use in those structures, or with those fixtures, in which it is particularly difficult to gain access to the lamp to grasp it for removal from the socket. The

spring contacts act to reset the handle member 26 just as soon as the lamp is removed from the socket.

What I claim as new and desire to secure b Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, contact members in said slots adapted to engage the prongs of an electric lamp, or the like, means mounted on said base to release said contact members from engagement with said prongs, and means biasing the lamp to move the prongs out of engagement with said contact members upon operation of said releasing means.

2. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contact means located in said slots and adapted to engage the contact prongs of an electric device to hold them in position on said base, and means including a manually operable member cooperating with said movable contact means for releasing the contact prongs and moving them out of engagement with said contact members.

3. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contact means located in said slots and adapted to engage the contact prongs of a lamp, or the like, asthey are moved through said slots into position on said base, and means to eject the contact prongs from engagement with said contact means.

4. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contact members in said slots adapted to engage the contact prongs of an electrical device as they are guided through said slots into position on said base, and manually operable means including a spring engaging the device for ejecting the contact prongs from engagement with the contact members.

5. In combination, a base having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, contact members having prong-engaging surfaces located in said slots adapted to engage and receive the contact prongs of an electrical device as said device is moved vertically downwardly into I seating position on said base and manually operable means to release said contact members from retention by said prongs and simultaneously raise said electrical device out of seated position on said base.

6. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, contact means located in said slots for engaging the contact prongs of an electrical device,'a slidable member engaging said contact means for moving them away from the contact prongs, and a member biasing the electrical device to move it and the contact prongs out of engagement with said contact means upon movement of said member.

7. In a socket structure, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contacts located in said slots for engaging the contact prongs of anelectrical device as they are guided by said slots into seated position on said base, a member slidably mounted on said base cooperating with said movable contacts to move them out of'engagement with the contact prongs, and a spring engaging the electrical device when in seated position and being biased to move the contact prongs out of the plane of said contact means upon movement of said member.

8. In combination, a base having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contacts in said slots for engaging the spaced contact prongs'of an electrical device as they are guided by saidslots into seated position on said base, a member movably, mounted on said base cooperatingwith said'cont'act'sto move them out'of engagement withthe contact prongs, and spring means biased by seating of the electricaldevice on. said base and being operable to move the contact prongs out of the planes of said movable contacts upon movement of said member. I f e 9. In a socket structure, a base of insulating material, movable contact means on said base adapted to receive the contact members of an electrical device as the device is seatedfon said base, a manually operable, member movably mounted on said base and being operatively connected to said contact means to move the latter out of engagement with the contact membersof the. electrical device, and a spring engaging the electrical device and biased by seating of the device on said, base to move the device out .of

' the plane of the baseupon movement of said manually operable member.

said prongs against outward sliding movement from said recesses, said holderhaving manually operable means made of insulating material and located to contact with said holding members at points spaced from said hooklike ends when said manually operable-means are actuated, to force 10. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slotsin one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contacts in said slots for engaging the spaced contact prongs of an electrical device, a member slidably mounted on said base between said contacts and engaging them to move them away from engagement with the contact prongs, and a spring extending beyond the confines of said base, said spring engaging the electrical device and being biased by seating of the device on said base to move it out of the plane of the base upon movement of said slidable member.

11. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contacts in said slots for engaging the spaced contact prongs of an electrical device and a member slidably mounted on said base between said contacts and cooperating with said contacts to move them away from engagement with the contact prongs.

12. In combination, a base of insulating-material having spaced parallel slots .in one face extending to an edge thereof, flexible spring contact members having curved contact surfaces for engaging and gripping the spaced contact prongs of an electrical device as the prongs are moved downwardly into said slots and a member slidably mounted on said base between said parallel slots and having projecting surfaces cooperating with the flexible spring blades to move them outwardly away from one another out of engagement with the contact prongs.

13. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallel. slots in one face extending to anedge thereof, movable contact means located in said slots having surfaces en gaging the contact prongs of an electrical device to hold them in position on said base, and a manually operable member cooperating with said movable contact means for releasing the contact prongs from engagement with the contact surfaces.

14. A holder for an electric lamp which has adjacent and external and parallel contact prongs, said holder having parallel recesses which are open at their outer ends and which are also open at a face of said holder so that the prongs can be slid into said recesses through said open ends in a direction which is perpendicular to said prongs, said holder having a pair of movsaid holding members to, inoperative positions in which said hooklike ends clear said recesses.

1 5.'A holde r made of insulatingmaterial and having Slots through which the prongs of a lamp can be inserted, said slots being open at their outer ends andat a face of theholder, holding members made of conducting material, said holding members being spacedand-insulated from each other, each said holding member having a body and also having a leg at the inner end of said body, each leg beingat an angle .to the respective body,,th e tip of each leg being located in a respective recess of the holder,,said bodies respectively having hook-portions at thier outer ends and whichare adapted to partially surround the prongs soas to hold the prongs in the holder when said holdingmembers are in operative position, the bodies of said holding members being movable-towards each other and away from. each other, said, holding members being made of resilient material and being biased by their resilience to operative position, said holder prongs can he slid inwardly into said recesses through said open ends in a direction perpendicular to said prongs, said holder having a pair of movable holding members connected thereto, said holding members being made of conducting material and being insulated from each other,

each said holding member having a holding portion which is shaped to embrace and to lock a respective, prong when said holding member is in operative position, so as to retain the prong in said slot when outward pressure is exerted on said holding portion by the respective prong, each said holding portion obstructing a respective slot between the inner end and the outer end of said slot when said holding member is in operative position, each said holding member being movable to an inoperative position, said holder having manually-operable control means which are movable relative to the holder, said control means being adapted to control the 10- cations of said holding members either in operative or in inoperative position.

17. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamp having spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing of insulating material, spaced contact members in said housing having curved prong engaging surfaces, means in said housing for guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with said contact members as said prongs are seated in said hous ing by movement transversely to the axes oi the lamp and prongs, and spring means biased by seating of the electrical device in said housing tending to move the lamp prongs out of sea tigii position in said housing, the curved prong en? gaging surfaces of said contact members engag f ing .the lamp prongs to hold theni in seated D9811 tion against the biasing action of said spring, means. 18. A socl-ze'tfor use with an electricaldevice; consisting or a lamp having spaced contact: prongs comprising, in combination, ahousing 01 insulating material, spaced contact members in said housing, means in said housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with said contact members as the prongs are seated in said housing by movement transversely to the longitudinal axes of the lamp and prongs, and spring means cooperating with the electrical device and being biased by seating of the electrical device in said housing to. press the lamp contact prongs into engagement with the contact members.

19. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamp having spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing of insulating material, spaced contact members in said housing, means in said housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with said contact members as the prongs are seated in said houssaid housing to press the lamp 'contact prongs into seated engagement with the contact memers.

20. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamp having spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing of insulating material, spaced contact members in said housing adapted to engage the lamp prongs and hold them in seated position in said housing, means on said housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with said contact members as said prongs are seated in said housing by movement transversely to the axis of the electrical 'device and spring means biased by seating of the electrical device on said housing to eject the electrical device from seated position upon release of the lamp prongs from engagement with said contact members. v

21. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamp having spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing of insulating material, spaced contact members in said housing adaptedto engage the lamp prongs and hold them in seated position in said housing, means on said housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with said contact members as said prongs,are seated in said housing by move- ADOLF G. MUELLER.