US2696551A - Mechanic's lamp guard - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 7, 1954 B. RlGA MECHANIC'S LAMP GUARD Filed Jan. 24, 1952 FIG. 2

FIG.

FIG. 5

INVENTOR ATTORNEY MECHANICS- LAMP Louis Benjamin Riga, Wichita, Kan's;

Application January 24, 1952, SerialNo. 267,978

2 Claims. (Cl; 240-54) This invention relates to improvementsin mechanics lamps of the type commonly used by automobile repair mechanics which, asis well known, usually comprise an electric light bulbscrew-threaded into a" socket at the end of an electrical supply conductor or cord, the socket mounting a wire guard to which is secured a reflector, and the guard in turn mounting a hook by which the lamp may be suspended as a unit in position to illuminate work being carried on in places not receiving suflicient illumination from the conventional light sources, as for example beneath an automobile hood.

The efficient use of a mechanics lamp as aforesaid requires that the reflector be held in a more or less fixed position i'n which it directslight rays on to the work. In? prior' lamps of the type under consideration, either no provision was made for securingthe' guard and hence the reflector relative to the hook, with the result that the reflector might turn with respect to the hook under the weight of the cord or due to other causes, or when provided, the means for preventing turning of the reflector with respect to the hook were of a complicated nature or required extensive manual working for each setting of the reflector.

A principal object of the present invention is to improve the efliciency and to simplify the use of mechanics lamps as aforesaid through the provision of simple means for securing the reflector against turning movement relative to the hook, to the end that when the reflector is adjusted to an angular position in which it illuminates the work it remains in that position until positively shifted to another desired position, and which also permits the reflector to be angularly adjusted relative to the hook to any desired one of a plurality of positions by simple turning pressure on the guard applied by the hand.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a mechanics lamp incorporating simple yet effective means for securing the reflector in a temporarily fixed, angular position with respect to the axis of the lamp, which utilizes in part the existing construction of the lamp, and which therefore may be built into the lamp with the minimum of labor and manufacturing cost.

Among the more detailed objects of the invention may be noted the provision, in a mechanics lamp, of means for adjusting the reflector to any one of a large number of angular positions with respect to the suspension hook, which is semi-automatic in its operation, which is thoroughly dependable in operation and exceedingly simple in its construction, and which, moreover, is not subject to wear and cannot get out of order.

The above and other objects and advantages of a mechanics lamp according to the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a side elevation thereof, the lamp being shown as suspended by its hook;

Fig. 2 is a part sectional, enlarged detail view of the upper end of the guard and the suspending hook; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a mechanics lamp as illustrated is of conventional construction and comprises a lamp socket mounting a switch 11, the socket being connected to the end of an electrical supply conductor 12, a lamp bulb 13 usually screw-threaded into the socket, a wire guard generally designated 14 attached to the socket, a reflector 15 carried by the guard, and a suspending hook 16 secured to the upper end of the guard.

As is usual, the guard is constructed of a plurality United States Patent" 0 ice of vertically disposed, spaced wire rods 18, secured at their lower .ends as by welding or soldering to a collar 19 clamped to the socket 10, and their upper ends are passed through openings 20 ina circular top member 21 and thence outwardly and downwardly over the ring inthe manner of attaching eyes 22. Preferably, the guard is made in two hingedly related sections, as by forming the clamp collar 19 in two halves which are provided at their ends with projecting ears adapted to be fastened by suitable means such as ascrew and nut assembly designated 23. The sectional construction of the guard permits opening thereof and thereby access to the lamp bulb 1-3 enclosed within the guard. It will be understood that opening of the guard is permitted by the hinging action of the eyes 22 formed at the upper end of rods 18 with respect to the top member 21 of the guard.

The reflector 15 issecured within one of the guard sect-ions as by welding or soldering, and hence is rigid with the guard, with the result that the reflector must be oriented, i. e. turned on the axis of the lamp, by imparting turning movement to the guard.

By reference to Fig. 2, the connection between hook 16 and the circular top member 21 of the guard is of the swivel type, as required to permit turning of the guard and hence of the reflector to desired angular position with reference to the hook whose position is relatively fixed when applied to some object designated by the reference numeral 25. This swivel connection may be simplyprovided asshown by extending the shank of the hook through the top member and securing said parts-axially but loosely, so as to permit relative turning thereof, by means of upper and lower nuts 26, 27, respectively, the lower nut being held by a lock nut 28.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the eyes 22 at the upper ends of the guard rods 18 are arranged at regularly spaced intervals and radiate outwardly from the circular top member 21 to which they are connected. Moreover, as seen in Fig. 2, the eyes protrude upwardly from the upper face of the top member, and hence in effect form with the latter a series of radial teeth. According to the present invention, these teeth are utilized as the ratchet component of a pawl and ratchet means for securing the guard and hence the reflector 15 in any one of a plurality of positions of angular adjustment with respect to the hook 16, and there is provided also a pawl 30 cooperating with said ratchet and which preferably takes the form of a spring leaf having one end fixed to the bill of the hook adjacent its shank portion and its other or free end 31 extending radially outwardly therefrom at an inclination so as to seat in the spaces between the aforesaid eyes 22. Preferably, the free end of the spring pawl 30 is downwardly convex so that it may ride up the curved side surfaces of the eyes when the guard is turned relative to the hook 16.

Thus, when the hook 16 is applied over a stationary object 25 from which the lamp is suspended, the angular position of the reflector may be adjusted simply by graspingthe guard 14 and turning it with respect to the hook until the reflector assumes the position best suited to direct light rays onto the work. During this turning movement, the free end 31 of the pawl rides over the upwardly protruding eyes 22 of the guard, as permitted by its flexibility, but upon the movement of the guard being stopped, and assuming that the end of the pawl lines up with a space between the eye, a condition which can be determined by feel, the pawl seats in the space between the eyes under spring pressure which by design is such as to secure the guard and hence the reflector against being further turned by the weight or drag of the cord 12 and/ or the socket 10. Inasmuch as there are as many dwells or spaces between the guard eyes 22 as there are rods 18 (ten in the illustrated embodiment), it will be observed that ten positions of angular adjustment of the reflector 15 are provided, which will suflice for normal use of a mechanics lamp. However, for lamps designed for special purposes requiring closer adjustment of reflector position, the number of guard rods may be increased, or additional protuberances functioning as teeth may be provided between the regularly formed eyes.

Without further analysis, it will be seen that the invention provides simple yet highly effective means for adjusting the angular relation of the reflector to the suspension hook of a mechanics lamp. It is a speclal feature of the invention that the aforesalcl means utnlzes the existing construction of the lamp, i. e. the eyes by which the rods or wires of the conventional guard are attached to the circular top member thereof, as the ratchet element or component of a pawl and ratchet type of adjusting means, the pawl element or component consisting of a simple leaf spring which may be secured to the hook in exceedingly simple manner. Hence, the reflector adjusting and securing means of the invention may be incorporated into conventional forms of mechanics lamp with a minimum of expense and labor. Another noteworthy feature of the invention is the ease with which the reflector may be set in any one of a plurality of possible positions of adjustment, merely by grasping the guard and turning it relative to the hook to a desired angular position of the reflector. The reflector adjusting and securing means as described is also semiautomatic in its operation, since no manual working of holding screws, wing nuts and the like is required, the flexibility of the spring pawl making the aforesaid manual working wholly unnecessary.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Y 4 nection between the shank of said hook and the circular top member, a reflector carried by said guard, said attaching eyes being radially arranged and slightly spaced from one another whereby they function as a ratchet, and a spring pawl having one end ailixed to the hook adjacent the shank, said pawl extending radially outwardly from said shank and being of a length such that its free end normally seats in the space between any two adjacent eyes. 1

2. A mechanics lamp comprising a suspension hook, a lamp guard including a plurality of axially extending wire rods and a circular top member to which the upper ends of the wire rods are secured in spaced relation by means of attaching eyes, means providing a swivel connection between said hook and circular top member while securing said parts in axially fixed relation, a reflector carried by said guard, said attaching eyes having portions protruding from the upper face of the circular member in the manner of ratchet teeth, and pawl means coacting with said ratchet teeth and comprising a leaf spring aflixed at one end to the hook adjacent its shank portion, said leaf spring extending radially outwardly from said shank portion and having a length such that its free end normallyseats in the space between said attaching eyes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 716,214 Gagnon Dec. 16, 1902 989,800 Pritchard Apr. 18, 1911.

2,488,316 Mosby Nov. 15, 1949 2,510,708 Marshall June 6, 1950 2,640,147 Suchan May 26, 1953

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