US2545043A - Electric lamp bulb changer - Google Patents

Description

A. L. ODENTHAL ELECTRIC LAMP BULB CHANGER March 13, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1950 014- ATTORNEY Mamh 13,1951 A. LfODENTH AL ELECTRIC LAMP BULB CHANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1950 H M m w 4 i atented 13, 195i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC LAMP BULB CHANGER Alvin L. Odenthal, Los Angeles, Calif. Application January 26, 1950, Serial No; 140,685

16 Claims.

This invention relates to an electric lamp bulb changer.

More specifically speaking the invention pertains to an electric lamp bulb changer wherein a pole carried, elastic applicator cup, which is applied to the lamps to mount and demount them, is furnished-with a valve controlled air supply means for controlling the air pressure in the applicator cup to cause it to adhere to or release the lamps being handled.

Among the objects of the invention are: to provide an overhead lamp changing device wherein an applicator member carried by a pole or elongated handle and controlled by variations of air pressure between it and the lamps, can be efiiciently operated without the use of cords or other elongated members extending longitudinally of the handle; to provide improved valve means to control the flow of air into and out from the space bounded by the lamp bulb and the applied applicator member, and in conjunction with this feature to provide improved control springs for said valve means; to provide an improved combination of an elastic vacuum applicator cup and underlying plate or disk to stabilize said cup and aid in controlling its operation; and to provide a per se improved elastic applicator cup which is new in the combination of which it forms a part and which also is a separately saleable article of manufacture purchasable by the user of the device to replace the applicator when it becomes worn out or defective because of long use.

The device is adapted to perform its lamp bulb changing function in a speedy manner and with a maximum degree of safety to guard against breakage of the fragile glass lamp bulbs being handled.

Another object is to provide an improved combination of applicator cup and air release valve whereby less pressure of the cup against the bulbs is necessary, thus making it possible to exchange them with less danger of breaking them.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete device showing the same applied to an overhead lamp bulb, upper and lower parts of the structure shown being broken away to contract the length of the view. In this view the bottom wall of the applicator cup is shown in inwardly compressed form from its normal bulged condition shown in Fig. 2, a considerable portion of the air within the cup 2 having escaped through the valve structure shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, the sectioned portion of the view being on the plane indicated by line 2-2 on Fig. l. Dotted lines" are used to show certain parts in a different operative position than shown in full lines. The applicator cup is shown with its bottom wall in the bulged condition it normally assumes.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in vertical midsection and partly in side elevation showing the air suction control valve slightly open. The lamp globe, applicator cup and its base plate are omitted and only 'a small fragment of the operating handle is shown.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but on a larger scale, showing more clearly the annular clearance between the end portion of the pole and the cylindrical shank which affords the passage of air when the bulb is pressed against the cup.

Referring in detail to the drawing, therein is shown an applicator cup 5, made of rubber or other elastic material and having a circular mouth portion 6 dimensioned for use in removing and replacing an overhead electric lamp bulb I. Said applicator cup 5 is shown connected with the inner end portion of a pole 8 by an assembly of mounting means 9, which consists of a plurality of parts presently to be described.

The side wall of the applicator cup 5 progressively thickens inwardly from its comparatively thin mouth portion 6, thus providing a thickened annular wall portion II in a streamline exterior relation to the comparatively thin convex bottom wall portion 12 of said cup 5. The cup 5 is thus provided with a circumferentially, inwardly directed ledge or shoulder l3, the inner edge portion of which joins the inner surface of the cup at less than a right angle thus increasing the extent of the compressible bottom wall l2. The object of constructing the wall of the cup in this manner is to furnish it with a sturdy mouth portion for application to the lamp bulbs and at the same time render the cups bottom portion easily compressible so as readily to expel a considerable portion of the air from the cup by pressing its mouth portion upwardly against a lamp bulb and thereupon, by releasing the upward pressure against the applicator cup the bottom portion thereof will react to cause it to approach its normal position, thereby creating within the cup a suction which will cause the lamp to adhere to the mouth of the cup with sufiicient firmness to enable the operator to screw the bulb into or unscrew it from its socket.

The bottom wall I2 of the cup 5 is shown having through it a central aperture, and around said aperture the cups bottom has a circular basal head [4. A concavo-convex disk l5 having its concave face directed upwardly, underlies said bead, said disk also having through it a central aperture. Underlying said disk is a mounting nut I l which has through it an axial bore l8, said nut ll also having an upstanding axial tubular extension is, which is externally screwthreaded and onto the upper end portion of which is screwed down a retaining nut 2| which abuts against the bottom of the cup 5 so as to cause the latter to fit in an air tight manner around said extension 19.

The aforesaid bore 18 through the 'nut 11 is provided with a diametrically enlarged lower end portion 22, and within said bore is fitted a tubular elastic valve seat member 23 which has at its lower end a diametrically enlarged valve seat forming portion 24 which fits within said bore enlargement 22.

The aforesaid mounting nut Il may be made integral with the underlying means whereby it is supported, but is shown with its lower end portion screwed into the upper end portion of a rigid tubular connection 25 with an axial bore 26 extending through the greater portion of its length and terminating at the lower end of an axial downward extension 27 with which said connection 25 is provided. Said extension 21 slidabl surrounds the diametrically reduced pole portion 28 and has, in each of opposite sides a closed, longitudinal slot 29. The pole end portion 28 carries stop screws 30 which slidably project through said slots and prevent relative rotation between the pole and member 25. The sliding fit between the pole portion 28 and bore 25 is sufliciently loose to allow air to flow into and escape from the superjacent applicator cup, esspecially when the device is being applied to the lamp bulb l, at which time the stop screws 38 are at the upper limit of their travel in slots 29, as shown in Fig.2. However, when the pole 8 has been pulled to the dotted line position in Fig.

. 2 or 'full line position of Fig. 3, air will more readily flow through the slotted part of the tubular extension 2'! (as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3) to relieve the suction in the applicator cup.

With the aforementioned valve seat 22 cooperates a dish shaped valve 32 located in a valve chamber 32a formed by expanding the 7 upper end portion of said tubular connection 25.

Said valve has an upstanding central extension 33 small enough to leave around it a clearance in the lower end portion of the passage through compression spring 36 cooperates with said hooks yieldingly to maintain said valve 32 in a normally seated condition. The lower end of said spring 36 is diametrically enlarged and rests upon a narrow annular shoulder 37 intervening between the upper'end of the valve seat member 23 and the interior surface of the basal part of the aforementioned tubular extension i9.

4 The valve 32 normally functions as a check valve which permits only outflow of air from the applicator cup.

A lost motion connection shown as a chain 49 has its upper end centrally attached to the lower side of the valve 32 and has its lower end attached to the center of the diametrically reduced end portion 28 of the pole 8. Said chain does not operate to open the valve unless the pole end portion 28 is withdrawn from the valve a greater distance than that indicated by full lines in Fig. 2, which show the stop screws 30 engaging the upper ends of the slots 29 in which they operate.

A coiled tension spring 42 (much stronger than the valve spring 36), coiled loosely around the: inner end portion of the pole 8, is welded or otherwise attached at its upper end to the rigid con-- nection 25, as indicated at 43, and at its lower end is attached by a fastener 44 to the pole 8.

This spring normally maintains the stop screws 33' in contact with the upper ends of the slots 29 in. which they travel, during which time the spring loaded valve 32 remains seated. At such times: as the valve 32 is opened by traction applied to the'chain 40, the air will flow between the pole end portion 28 and surrounding structure with a sufficient frceness to admit air pressure to and allow air to flow out from the applicator cup as out therefrom through the cylindrical valve seat member 23 and past the valve 32, which the outgoing air will force open in opposition to the valve spring 36. After passing said valve the air will flow out between the cylindrical shank 21 of the member 25 and the pole around which said shank loosely fits as indicated by the directional flow arrows in Fig. 4. Thereupon the workman will release upward force against the cup sufficiently to allow the bottom wall 12 thereof to react and create a partial vacuum within the cup, which, in turn, will firmly hold the bulb to the cup so that, by turning the pole about its axis the bulb can be unscrewed. The fact that the cup has the reinforcing plate 15 under it and the inwardly directed annular ledge I3 at about itsmidheight, facilitates the aforesaid air suction control resulting from cup deformation.

In the operation of mounting a new bulb the workman, while holding the pole in one hand an! the bulb in the other, will first press the basal portion of the bulb against the mouth portion of the applicator cup with sufficient force to inbend to some extent the bottom wall 12 of the cup, so that, when he lets go of the 'bulbthe elasticity of said bottom wall will cause it to create a bulbretaining 'rarefaction of the air in the applicator cup. Then the new bulb can safely be elevated to, and screwed into its socket, and thereupon by apnlling down slightly upon the pole against the mounted bulb.

- Owing to the partly thick a d partl th s a .structure. of theapp ba fi 91 D, $109M Fi the hemispherically shaped thin bottom wall pora tion [2 can be greatly compressed until its upper part engages the circular, downwardly facing shoulder or ledge l3; thus providing for an efiicient rarefaction of the air under the bulb when said wall portion I2 is restored to normal contour by reason of normal air pressure being restored within the cup as a result of a slight downward pull upon the pole operating the chain 4!! and opening the valve 32. The facility with which the thin bottom wall portion l2 of the cup can be depressed is increased by reason of the aforesaid annular shoulder l3 being undercut in such a manner that it is so inclined as to its width as to position its radially outer part at a higher level than its radially inward part, this arrangement increasing the upward extent of the thin, compressible bottom wall portion of the cup.

It will be observed that, both in the operation of unscrewing an overhead bulb and of screwing a new bulb into its overhead socket, a controlled suction within the applicator cup causes it to adhere firmly to the lamp bulb being handled, so that when the pole is used 'to turn the applied cup the latter will engage the lamp bulb with good torsion resisting friction, and, therefore, this necessary friction is obtained without using so much force in pressing the cup and bulb against each other as to endanger breaking the latter. Hence the device can be safely used to mount and demount fragile lamp bulbs.

I claim:

1. In a device for changing overhead electric lamp bulbs, a pole, a tubular connection having an upwardly directed mouth portion and a lower end portion slidably surrounding the inner end portion of said pole, a mounting nut having a screwthreaded lower end portion screwed into the mouth portion of said connection, said nut having through it an axial bore which is diametrically enlarged at its lower end, said nut having at its upper end an axial cylindrical, tubular extension which is externally screwthreaded, a cup shaped applicator having a flexible mouth dimensioned to fit electric lamp bulbs and a centrally apertured bottom surrounding said tubular extension in an air tight manner, a retaining nut for said cup screwed down onto the outer part of said tubular extension into a clamping engagement with the bottom of said cup, a tubular elastic valve seat member fitted within said bore through the aforesaid mounting nut and having a diametrically enlarged valve seat forming end portion occupying the diametrically enlarged lower end portion of said bore, a valve cooperating with said valve seat to control the flow of air through said tubular elastic member and into the aforesaid applicator cup, a valve opening lost motion connection connecting saidvalve with the inner end of said pole, spring loaded means operating through said tubular valve seat member and connected with said valveyieldingly to urge it toward its seat, and a tension spring carried by the inner portion of said pole and connected with said tubular connection normally to restrain the latter against sliding away from its inmost position in relation to the pole when said pole is operated to slide it outwardly in relation to the lower end portion of said tubular connection, said lost motion connection opening said valve in opposition to its aforesaid spring loaded means, there being air passage means between the lower end portion of said tubular connection and the part of the pole which it surrounds to admit air to and through said valve seat and thence to the determined distance, and a applicator cup when said valve is opened as afor'e said.

2. In a device for changing overhead electric lamp bulbs, an applicator cup having a flexible mouth adapted to fit electric lamp bulbs in an air tight manner, a pole, mounting means for said applicator cup, said mounting means being attached to the inner end portion of said pole, there" being air passage means through said mounting means leading from the interior of said cup to the atmosphere, a valve carried by said mounting means, spring loaded means connected with said valve and normally positioning it to prevent inflow of air through said air passage means to said cup, said mounting means being so connected with said pole as to be slightly movable lengthwise of the latter, a spring positioned to oppose outward movement of said mounting means in relation to said pole, and a lost motion,

connection between said pole and valve.

3. The subject matter of claim 2, and said ap-- plicator cup having a convex bottom wall the central portion of which is attached to said mounting means, and a concave-convex reinforcing disk of rigid material interposed between said bottom wall and said mounting means with its concave side directed toward said bottom wall.

4. In a device for changing overhead electric lamp bulbs, an applicator cup having a flexible mouth adapted to fit electric lamp bulbs in an air tight manner, a pole, mounting means for said cup, said mounting means being attached to the inner end portion of said pole, there being air passage means through said mounting means leading from the interior of said cup to the outer atmosphere, a valve carried by said mounting means, a spring operatively connected with said valve and normally holding the latter in a, position wherein it closes said air passage means against admission of air therethrough to the in terior of said cup, said mounting means being connected with said pole in such a manner as to be slightly movable lengthwise of the axis of the latter, a lost motion connection extending from said pole to said valve, said connection opening said valve when the pole is moved outwardly in relation to said mounting means beyond a pre second spring stronger than the first recited spring and positioned to oppose movement of said pole away from said mounting means,

5. The subject matter of claim 4, and said lost motion connection consisting of a chain one end of which is fastened to the bottom of said valve and the opposite end of which is secured centrally to the inner end of said pole.

6. The subject matter of claim 4, and said mounting means carrying stop'means limiting the movement of the pole theretoward, and said lost motion connection allowing a slight movement of said pole away from said stop means before the lost motion connection opens said valve.

'7. In a device for changing overhead electric lamp bulbs, an applicator cup having a flexible mouth adapted to fit the bulbs in an air tight manner, a pole, mounting means for said cup, said mounting means being attached to the inner end portion of said pole, there being air passage means through said mounting means leading from the interior of said cup to the outer atmosphere, a check valve carried by said mounting means and normally permitting only outflow of air from said cup, a spring connected with said valve normally holding it closed against inflow 7 of air to said cu and a flexible connection connecting said valve with the inner end of said pole to open said valve when the pole is moved outwardly in relation to said mounting means beyond a predetermined distance.

8. In a device for changing overhead electric lamp bulbs, an elastic. applicator cup having a mouth portion applicable to conventional electric lamp bulbs, a pole, a mounting means for said cup carried by an end portion of said pole in a slidable relation to the length of the latter, there being an air passage through said mounting means to supply air to said cup, av check valve carried by said mounting means and. positioned to control inflow of air to said cupthrough said passage, spring means normally holding said check valve closed, and a flexible connection connecting said pole with said valve and operable to open it to admit air to said cup when said pole is moved away from said valve.

9. The subject matter of claim 8, and a rigid disk carried by said mounting means in. an underlying relation to said cup where-against to collapse the latter during the movement of said pole theretoward.

10. The subject matter of claim 8, and said spring means acting upon said valve tov move it upwardly when the cup is applied to an overhead lamp bulb, and a stronger spring means connecting said pole with said mounting means and positioned to oppose sliding movement of said mounting means toward the upper end of the pole when said cup is applied to an overhead lamp.

ll. An applicator for use. in exchanging overhead electric lamp bulbs, comprising;. an elastic cup having a circular mouth surrounded by a thin lip, the: side, wall of the cup, progressively thickening from said liptoward the bottom of the cup to approximately the mid-height of the cup; the remaining lower portion, of the cup having, a thinned wall which is; hemispherically shaped and has a central bottom aperture,.there being at the juncture of said thinned wall with saidrthickened wall a downwardly facing annular ledge or shoulder formed by the lower. end of said thickenedwall portiom 12. The subject matter of claim L1, and said annular shoulder-being so inclined as to its width so as to position its outer peripheral portion at a higher level than itsinner peripheral portion, thus increasing the upwardextent of the thinwalled bottom ortion: of the cup.

13. In a device for exchangingv overhead electric lamp bulbs, said device including an elestic,

- pole-carried applicator cup; a rigid tubular connection having an axial air passage through it which communicates with the applicator cup and attaches the latter to one end portion of the pole, a valve seat in said passage, a spring loaded check valve cooperating with said valve seat and normally positioned to allow air to flow therethrough only from said cup, a rigid abutment member between said tubular connection and cup to deform the latter and thereby expel air therefrom when the cup is applied to an overhead lamp bulb and pressed thereagainst by the pole, said tubular connection having a limited slidin movement upon the pole in the direction of the length of the latter, and a flexible connection connecting said valve and pole and operable to open the valve when the pole is slid away therefrom beyond a predetermined distance.-

14. The subject matter of claim 13, and said rigid abutment member being a disk interposed between said tubular connection and elastic cup, said disk having a concave face in an abuttable relation to the bottom of said cup.

15. In a device for exchanging overhead electric lam bulbs, said device including an elastic pole-carriedapplicator cup; a tubular rigid connection having an axial air passage through it which communicates with the applicator cup, said tubular connection securing said cup to one end portion of the pole, a valve seat in said passage facing away from said cup, a valve shaped as a dish with its concave side directed toward said valve seat to cooperate therewith, spring means centrally connected with the concave side of. said dish shaped valve and arranged normally to hold said valve seated,v and a fiexiblemo'nnection connected at one end with said pole and at its opposite end with the convex side of said dish shaped valve, said tubular connection being mounted upon said pole toslide lengthwise or" the latter, said flexible connection opening said valve when the pole is moved outwardly in said tubular connection beyond a predetermined distance while the applicator cup is being held by suction. to an overhead lamp bulb.

16. The subject matter of claim 15, and the passage through said rigid tubular member having acontracted portion between said valve seat and the applicator cup, and said valve having a central axial guide extension projecting into said contracted part of the passage.

ALVIN L. ODENTHAL.

No references cited.

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