US2545860A - Incandescent lamp socket and switch - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1951 H. c. RoBERTsoN 2,545,860

INCANDESCENT LAMP SOCKET AND SWITCH Filed May' 1, 1948 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. Hmz/@Y C. /Qoaee TSO/v T i BY v March 20, 1951 H. c. ROBERTSON INCANDESCENT LAMP SOCKET AND SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May l, 1948 INVENTOR. HAPPY C. ROBERTSON Patented Mar. 20, 1951 INCANDESCENT LAMP SOCKET AND SWITCH Harry C. Robertson, New York, N. Y.

Application May 1, 1948, Serial No. 24,589 n 7 claims. (ci. aoc-51.15)

. This invention is -a lamp socket andthe object of the invention is to greatly simplify socket-construction, economize in the manufacture of the individual parts and facilitate assembly of these parts to form a simple and `eflicient end product. These objects arerattained through the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter'more fully described.

The accompanying drawings illustrate different practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

1 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of plug structure embodying the present invention, a portion of the interior screw shell being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view looking into the open end of the screw shell.

Fig. 4 (constituting all of sheet 2) is a perspective view showing the different parts of the socket separated from one another, so that their individual structure may be more clearly illustrated. 'v Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmental perspectives showing switch operating cams for use in push and finger button sockets.

l By reference first to Fig. 4.I-I indicate two identical body sections which may be conveniently molded or vcast from any appropriate organic plastic. Each is of rectangular box-like form with one open side, so that when the two sections are brought together with their open sides in edge abutting relation, they will collectively form a hollow7 closed rectangular body. 4In the abutting faces of the two sections are formed slots 2 which extend downwardly and are undercut as indicated at 3, so that each of these slots is substantially L-shaped. When the two sections are assembled, the registering slots 2 and 3 of the two sections collectively form two inverted T-shaped cavities adapted to receive correspondingly shaped tongues 4 stamped from the opposite sides of the inturned end flange 5 of the inner shell 6. This engagement between the T-shaped tongues and the slots 2 and 3 serve as the sole attaching means between the inner shell 6 and the sections I-I and so long as the sections remain in edge abutting relation, the shell 6 will be locked to the socket body. If desired, the upper edges 'i of the lateral wings of the T-shaped tongues may slope slightly downwardly and the upperedges of the undercut slots 3 may be similarly congurated, so that, when the sections are assembled, they will draw the tongues 4 downwardly to seat the ange 5.of.the shell 6 firmly on the upper surface of the top wall of the body.

The abuttingedges of the two sections are also provided with slots 8, these being duplicated at the opposite sides of the medial plane of each` post I3, molded on the interior of each section,Y

holds'this shoulder against the under side of this wall. Beyond the post I3, the member 9 is bent to form a spring I4, the free end of which constitutes a switch contact.

When the portion II is placed in companion.

I slots 8, the part contact I0 will be centrally located with respect to the shell to engage the center contact of a lamp screwed into the shell. The parts II'and I2 of the member 9 are offset later-Y ally so that the spring I4 will lie closely adjacent the inner flat surface of one of the side walls of.

the body and be free to be exed into and out of engagement with a fixed contact Iii.

This latter contact is in the form of a ange on the upper end of a terminal plate I5 provided, intermediate its ends, with a stamped prong I1 and having a threaded hole I8. The plate I5 is` adapted to be placed against the outer surface of the appropriate section I with the contact flange Il extending through a slot I9 in said sec tion and into spaced relation with the spring I4. The plate I5 is held in place by forcing the prong Il, which may be serrated, through a perforation 2Q formed in said section. When this prong is pressed into place, it tightly grips the plastic wall of the section within the perforation 25 andthe plate is thus secured rigidly and permanently in position. The threaded hole I8 in said plate is aliried with a perforation 2| in the section and these two alined perforations receive screw 22 (Fig. l) for binding one electrical feed wire to the plate I5.

The other terminal of the socket is in the form of a plate 23, provided with a similar attaching prong 24 to be forced into a perforation 25 in the other section. The upper end of the plate 23 screw 21 passes through a tapped ho le 28 in the plate 23 and enters a perforation 29 in the corre-v spending section to serve as a binding means for the other electrical lead wire for the grounded side of the shell.

The contact spring I4 is normally biased so as to be free from engagement with the contact i6. To energize a lamp associated with the socket, it is necessary to engage the spring with the contact flange IB and in accordance with the present invention, this is accomplished through the employment of a cam which may be operated by opposed push buttons or by a manually rotatable finger piece or by a pull chain. These several types of construction are shown in the accompanying drawings, the cam in each instance beingy indicated by the reference character 30.

Figs. 1-4, which show the pull chain type of socket, embody a cam operating ratchet, a bias-v ing spring, a pull chain, and a chain guide. The ratchet is formed of two parts. One part 3l is` mounted on the back of the cam 30 and is rigid therewith. It is provided with four radial ratchet teeth 32 arranged at 90 intervals. The other part of the ratchet is in the form of a plate 33 from which is stamped four tongues 34 to function as the pawls of the ratchet. The plate has a laterally extending arm 35 to which the pull chain 36 is attached. The biasing spring is indicated at 31 with one end 38 adapted to hook under the edge of the arm 35 and its other end 39. adapted to extend into the perforation 2U of the adjacent section 2. This perforation is available for this purpose as the corresponding perforation in the other section l is serving to receive the prong ll. The cam, ratchet sections and spring are assembled upon a shaft 40, passed through alined holes 4i centrally arranged in the two sections l-L This shaft may be of' tubular form with its opposite ends flanged over against the exteriors of the opposite walls of the respective sections to hold the shaft in place and` at the same time maintain the sections in assembled relation with their contacting edges rmly abutting one another. The pull chain is adapted to extend through av pull chain guide 42 gripped within complementary registering cut-outs or slots 43 formed in the abutting edges of the sections I-I and held in place when the sections are locked in assembled relation.

With the construction shown in these figures, each operation of the pull chain will angularly shift the cam 90 for said cam is of substantially rectangular form. with alternate high and low phases whereby, through successive operations f the` cam, the spring I4 will be engaged with and disengaged from the fixed contact flange I6.

When the ends of the shaft are flanged outwardly, they serve to lock the sections I-l together. This constitutes a thoroughly effective means for maintaining the parts in assembled relation. However, if desired, the inner flange of the shell 6 may be stamped to provide tongues 43 (Figs. 1-3), adapted to be bent downwardly to overlie the opposite sides of the respective sections l-l to form an additional lock.

If the plug of this invention is to be used as al push button plug, the structure of Fig. 5 may be used. Here the 01T and On push buttons are indicated at 44 and 45. They are secured to the opposite ends of a push rod 46 which passes through alined perforations in the opposite sides of the socket body. The rod has an. upstanding actuating post 41 adapted to extend between the arms of a fork 48 rigid with a cam 3U. When the push button 44 is operated, the cam is rotated anti-clockwise into the posi-tion shown in Fig. 5 to de-energize the socket. Whenthe push button 45 is operated, the cam is rotated 90 clockwise, to complete the circuit through the socket.

In the structure of Fig. 6, the cam is axed to a shaft 4a which corresponds to the shaft 40 and which may be passed through the perforations I4 in the sections I-L One end of the shaft 40a is extended somewhat so that it is adapted to receive a nger piece 49 whereby the cam may be manually rotated to close or break the circuit to the lamp.

The socket body with attached internal screw shell to receive the lamp is adapted to be enclosed within a conventional outer shell and cap with interposed insulating sleeve (not shown) in the usual manner. When the structure is to be associated with a husk, an appropriate hickey is required.A Such a hickey may be secured to the socket body in a simple and convenient manner by forming it as shown in Fig. 4. Here the hickey is illustrated as comprising an angle plate 50, the upright portion of which is notched at its opposite edges, as indicated at 5I, to provide a T- shaped head 52. The horizontal portion of the plate carries an internally threaded boss 54 to screw onto the xture or xture tube, as the case may be. The lower meeting edges of both ofthe two sections l--l are slotted, as shown at 55 in Fig. LLto receive the upright portion of the angle plate with the head 52 within the socket body and with the walls of the sections contiguous with the slots 55 extending into the notches 5l to rmly secure the hickey to the socket body.

The Various parts of the sockety structure hereinbefore described may be assembled in a simple and economical manner and inasmuch as the shell sections are identical with one another, they may be made through the use of a single mold and used as either rightsl and lefts. No nut screws, bolts or other extraneous attaching devices need be used to maintain the parts in assembled relation.

The flanged shaft 4U constitutes atie rod which will insure the integrity of the assembly, although, if the tongues 4'3 are employed, they alone will hold the sections [-I in face abutting relation and thus. hold the partsV in proper relation. It is preferable, however, to flange over the opposite ends of the shaft l' after the manner of a hollow rivet so that it functions. not only as. the operating` shaft of the socket, but also as the unitary locking means to maintain all the parts in assembled relation.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms, but the invention is to be. understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what IV claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentr is:

l. A lamp socket comprising: a pair of com,- plementary hollow sections each having an open side and` having` slots extending into the section from the open side thereof, a plurality of metallic socket members, said sections being assembled with, their open sides in edge abutting relation and with. said metallic socket members extending into said slots for locking engagement therewith so long as the sections are in edge abutting relation, a tie rod extending, transversely through thev opposite walls of both sections for securing the sections in abutting relation. a switch operating member mounted on said tie rod, and' a. switch positioned within the assembled sections and operable by the switch operating member.

2. A lamp socket comprising: a pair of com.-

plementary hollow sections each having an open side and having slots extending into the section from the open side thereof, a plurality of metallic socket members, said sections being assembled with their open sides in edge abutting relation and with said metallic socket members extending into said slots for locking engagement therewith so long as the sections are in edge abutting relation, a tie rod extending transversely through the opposite walls of both sections for securing the sections in abutting relation, a switch operating member, a ratchet and a biasing spring all mounted for rotation on said tie rod, and a switch positioned within the assembled sections and operable by the switch operating member.

3. A lamp socket comprising: a pair of complementary hollow sections each having an open side and having slots extending into the section from the open side thereof, a plurality of metallic socket members, said sections being assembled with their open sides inv edge abutting relation and with said metallic socket members extending into said slots for locking engagement therewith so long as the sections are in edge abutting relation, a tie rod extending transversely through the opposite walls of both sections for securing the sections in abutting relation, a switch operating member mounted on said tie rod, a manually operable element for actuating said switch operating member, and a switch positioned within the assembled sections and operable by the switch operating member.

4. A lamp socket comprising: a pair of complementary hollow sections each having an open side and having slots extending into the section from the open side thereof, a plurality of metallic socket members, said sections being assembled with their open sides in edge abutting relation and with said metallic socket members extending into said slots for locking engagement therewith so long as the sections are in edge abutting relation, a tie rod extending transversely through the opposite walls of both sections for securing the sections in abutting relation, a switch operating"y member mounted on said tie rod, a manually operable finger piece secured to the tie rod for operating the switch operating member, yand a switch positioned Within the assembled sections and operable by the switch operating member.

5. A lamp socket comprising a pair of comp-lementary hollow sections assembled with their open sides in edge abutting relation, said sections being provided with slots extending into the sections from said abutting edges thereof, a shell seated on one end of the assembled sections and having tongues extending into locking engagement with certain of said slots, a center contact member extending from the interior of the shell through other slots into the interior of the assembled sections a-nd there formed into a spring contact, a terminal plate secured to the exterior of one of said sections and extending through the wall of said section and into the interior thereof and forming a complementary fixed Contact, another terminal plate secured exteriorly to the other section and engaging with the shell, a chain guide extending through other slots to mount said guide on the assembled sections, a tie rod extending transversely through the sections to secure said sections in abutting relation, a contact spring operating cam mounted on said tie rod in cooperative relation to said spring contact, a ratchet part iixed to said cam, a cooperating ratchet part mounted on the tie rod and having a chain extending through the chain guide, and a biasing spring one end of which is engaged with the latter ratchet part and the other end of which is anchored to the adjacent section.

6. A lamp socket comprising: a pair of complementary hollow sections assembled with their open sides in edge abutting relation, said sections being provided with slots extending into the sections from said abutting edges thereof, a shell seated on one end of the assembled sections and having tongues extending into locking engagement with certain of said slots, a center contact member extending from the interior of the shell through other slots into the interior of the assembled sections and there formed into a spring contact, a terminal plate secured to the exterior of one of said sections and extending through the wall of said section and into the interior thereof and forming a complementary xed contact, another terminal plate secured exteriorly to the other section and engaging with the shell, a tie rod extending transversely through the sections to secure said sections in abutting relation, a contact spring operating cam mounted on said tie rod in cooperative relation to said spring contact, and a manually operable member for rotating said cam to move the contact spring into and out of engagement with the xed Contact.

7. A lamp socket comprising: a pair of complementary hollow sections of insulating material each having an open side, a shaft extending transversely through said sections and provided with abutments at its opposite ends exteriorly of the sections to secure the sections together with their open sides in abutting relation, said sections having registering slots when in abutting relation to form a slot intersecting the `joint between them, a combined contact and switch member comprising a resilient metallic plate, an intermediate portion of the length of which extends through said slot with that portion of the -plate exteriorly of the assembled sections forming a center lamp contact and that portion within the assembled sections returned upon itself to form a resilient leaf spring contact, a fixed contact within the assembled sections and normally spaced from the leaf spring contact, and a manually operable cam carried by the shaft which secures the sections together, said cam being operable directly upon the resilient leaf spring contact to engage the latter with the xed contactY at the will of the operator.

HARRY C. ROBERTSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 837,638 Nichols c Dec. 4, 1906 1,007,058 Both Oct, 31, 1911 1,257,609 Denhard Mar. 19, 1918 1,628,415 Mallett May 10, 1927 1,720,511 Cross July 9, 1929 1,845,424 Lant Feb. 16, 1932 2,114,826 Zelov Apr. 19, 1938 2,427,464 Lagin Sept. 16, 1947

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