US942240A - Plural-lamp-holding device. - Google Patents

Description

R. B. BENJAMIN.

PLURAL LAMP HOLDING DEV 12GB.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1907. 942,240. Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

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R. B. BENJAMIN. PLURAL LAMP HOLDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5. 1907.

942,240. I Patented Dec.7,-1909.

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PLURAL LAMP HOLDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1907.

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PLURAL LAMP HOLDING DEVICE.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1907.

942,240. Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

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Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

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R. B. BENJAMIN. PLURAL LAMP HOLDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1907.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

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REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIs, ASSIGNOB. T0 BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIs.

PLUBAL-LAMP-HOLDING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJA- MIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plural-Lamp-Holding Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to plural lamp-holding devices and contemplates general improvements in the construction thereof.

It is desirable, in electric socket devices wherein a plurality of incandescent lamps are to be accommodated, that the structure be of minimum weight, durable, and of good appearance, and that the parts thereof be so constructed and relatively disposed as to admit of convenient access to the current-carrying members, whereby the proper electrical connections may be made.

To these ends I have designed the device of which several forms coming within the scope of the invention, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, in which the same reference characters are applied to like parts throughout the various figures, Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of my invention, the back plate of the casing being removed to reveal the interior construction; Fig. 2 is a partial diametrical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 3 illustrates another form of my invention; Fig. 4 is a diametrical sectional View on the line 4-4 of Figs. 3 and 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. (5 is an under-side view of the device shown in Fig. 3, the inclosing casing being removed; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view illustrating the method of supporting the lamp-receiving Contact shells; Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating in detail the construction of the center contacts employed; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a non-conducting block employed for insulat ing the current-carrying members of the device from each other; Fig. 10'is a plan view of another form of my invention, the back plate of the inclosing casing being removed; Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on the line Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 5, 1807.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

Serial No. 387,091.

11-11 of Figs. 10 and 12, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 12 is a view of the under side of this form of the device, the inclosing casing being removed; Fig. 13 is a detail perspective view illustrating the construction of the lamp-receiving contact shells employed in this form of the device; Fig. 14 illustrates the form of insulating blocks employed in this construction; and Fig. 15 shows in detail the construction of the center contacts employed therein.

Describing first the form of device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the entire device is supported by a pipe or conduit 16 which extends from the ceiling or other suitable primary support, and through which the conductors of the supply circuit are led to the binding terminals of the current-carrying members of the cluster. This conduit, which is ordinarily of iron pipe, is screw-threaded at its lower end and takes into a corresponding screw-threaded opening in the supporting member 17. This supporting member 17 is provided with a plurality of radially extending legs 19 of which there may be as many as desired but are shown as being three in number. To each of these legs is secured an insulating block 20 by any suitable means, as, for instance, by a screw 21 passing through the block and threading into a corresponding opening in the leg 19. These in sulating blocks 20, 20, 20 are adapted to support and insulate from each other the current-conducting members of the device and are suitably stepped, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 9, to form the bearing surfaces 22, 23 and 24 at different heights and different distances from the center of the device, the corresponding surfaces on the several blocks lying in the same horizontal plane. To these surfaces are separately secured the various Current-conducting members. On the laterally-registering surfaces 22 of the several insulating blocks is secured a ring 25 by means of bolts 26 passing therethrough and through the insulating members and provided with suitable nuts 27. On the several laterally-registering surfaces 24, 24 is secured a ring 28 by means of bolts 29 passing therethrough and through the insulating member, and provided with nuts 30." These rings 25 and 28 form the supporting means for the lamp- receiving Contact shells 31, 31, the method whereby the shell is mounted being best illustrated by Figs. 4 and 7. Each lamp-receiving shell 31 is provided with the oppositely disposed lugs 32 and 33 which are secured to the rings 25 and 28 respectively by means of rivets 3 1, or in any other suitable manner. It will be seen that with the lamp-receiving shells supported in this manner any desired number thereof, within the capacity of the device, may be secured to the rings 25 and 28, these shells being circularly arranged as illustrated in Fig. 1. While either one or both of these rings may be utilized to carry current, in this description I consider only the ring 28 as being essentially of electrically-conductive material. By this construction all of the lamp-receiving contact shells in the cluster are electrically united. A suitable binding-screw 35 is provided for the ring 28, whereby one of the conductors G of the supply circuit may be attached thereto.

Upon the several laterally-registering surfaces 23 there is secured the conducting ring 36 by means of bolts 37 passing therethrough and through the insulating member and engaging with suitable nuts 38. This conducting ring 36 is disposed approximately midway between the rings 25 and 28 and forms the means for supporting and electrically-uniting the center contacts which engage the lamps inserted into the receiving shells 31.

As best shown in Figs. l, 5 and 8, the center contacts consist of properly disposed spring members 39 which are secured to the ring 36 by means of rivets 10 or by any other suitable means. The shell contacts as herein shown, have interior screw-threads for the reception of incandescent lamps, of the Edison type, but contacts of other construction may be employed to accommodate other types of lamps. The ring 36 not only forms the supporting means for all the center contacts, but in the form of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it electrically unites them as well, and is provided with a binding-screw 4:1 whereby the proper conductors of the electrical supply circuit may be attached thereto. lVith this circuit arrange ment the lamps inserted in the various sockets are connected in parallel. A casing or housing -12 is suitably supported to inclose the parts hereinbefore described, and a back plate 43 is also provided to further assist in protecting the interior structure. This back plate may, conveniently, be clamped between the body portion of the supporting member 17 and the inclosing tube 44 which is provided about the conduit 16 to give the entire fixture a finished appearance. The casing 42 is provided with a plurality of openings 4-5, 45 in the periphery thereof which correspond in position to the lamp-receiving contact shells 31. W hen the casing is in place the contact shells will, therefore, register with the openings in the casing, and a bushing 1-6, formed of insulating material and having interior screwthreads, may be disposed in each of said openings and threaded upon the exterior screw threads provided on the lamp-receiving shells. Each of these insulating bushings is provided with a. shoulder 17 which engages the surface of the casing and supports the same when the bushings are screwed up into place. To secure a joint between the casing and the back plate, which will be dust-proof and of good appearance, the casing is provided with the upwardly extending rim flange 4-8, with which the downwardly extending rim flange 4-9 on the back plate is in close engagement. To aliford access to the binding screws of the device the casing 42 may be provided with a removable cap 41-2 which screws into a suit-- able opening formed in the under side of the casing.

It will be seen that this structure is extremely light, due to the employment of a plurality of small insulating blocks to support the current-carrying members and to insulate the same, instead of the massive insulating base oi the prior-art structures. Access is readily obtained to the conductive members by the mere removal of the screw cap 12, and, as the conducting rings and sockets are supported entirely by the conduit or iron pipe, it is apparent: that the electrical connections may be readily and conveniently made without the use of slack wire.

It is frequently desirable to provide means whereby some of the lamps in the cluster may remain extinguished while the other lamps are lighted. In Figs. 3 to (3 inclusive 1 have illustrated a device whereby this desirable result may be attained.

The general construction being identical with that of the device of Figs. 2 and 3, no

detailed description is necessary except as to those parts which are modified in construction. The adaptation to this end resides essentially in the construction ol the conducting ring 36. Instead of consisting of a continuous ring or conductive material, as in the structure illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, the ring 36 is composed of a plurality of individually insulated segments. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5 this ring is composed of three such segments, indicated respectively by the characters a, 7), and 0, but it will appear that the principle of operation is the same regardless of the number of segments employed. To properly support and insulate these segments, the insulating blocks 20, 20, 20 are made of greater width than those in the structure of F l and 2 and the segments a, 7) and c are disposed to span the respective spaces between the blocks. The additional width of each insulating block admits of the accommodation of a separate bolt 26 for each of the segment ends secured thereto and permits the separation of the respective segments whereby they are effectively insulated from each other. These segments at, b and 0 have the same function as the continuous ring of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that is, the function of forming means whereby the center terminals of the incandescent lamps inserted in the shells 31, may be connected with the supply circuit. Thus each segment may form the means whereby the center contacts of a part of the group of lamps are connected together and to which conductors, leading from the supply circuit, maybe attached. I have herein shown each of said segments as carrying two contact members 39 placed in register with proximately disposed contact shells, but it will be apparent that the segments may carry any number of contact members or be associated with any number of contact shells to secure any desired circuit arrangement.

Each segment is provided with a bindingscrew 41 whereby the proper electrical con-.

ductor may be secured thereto, Suitable switching mechanism being employed in a convenient part of the circuit, it is evident that each segment may be connected with the current source either alone or together with part or all of the other segments whereby part of the lamps in the cluster may be lighted while others are extinguished, or all the lamps in the group may be lighted simultaneously.

In Figs. 11 to 15 inclusive I have shown another modified form within the scope of my invention, wherein the current-carrying members are carried by the inclosing casing instead of being permanently secured to the conduit. In these figures only those parts concerned in the modification will be described in detail.

The back plate 43 of the casing is secured by screws 51 to the disk 50 screw-threaded on the pipe 16. A suitable number of screws 52 engage in the upwardly-extending rim flange 48 of the casing 52, and the downwardly-extending rim flange 49 of the back plate 43, whereby the casing is properly supported in position. An annular shoulder 53 is formed near the top of the casing 4-2 and the ring 25, which is indicated as being of insulating material, is supported by said shoulder. This ring in this form of the device acts only as a supporting member to which the lugs 82 of the lamp-receiving shells are attached by means of screws 34 and does not serve to electrically connect said shells as it is desirable that the casing be insulated from the currentcarrying members. The electrical union of the contact-shells 31 is obtained by way of the ring 28 which is of electrically-conductive material and is attached to the extending lugs 33 of the contact shells, as in the other forms of my invention. The slightly modified form of these extending lugs on the contact shells employed in this modified structure is shown particularly in Fig. 13. These lugs are secured to the rings 25 and 28 by means of screws 34 The openings 45, 45 about the periphery of the casing 42, have the sleeves 54 secured therein and each of these sleeves is provided with the insulating lining 55, the contact-shells 31 being disposed within said sleeves and being insulated therefrom by said linings. The binding-screw 35 is provided on the plate 28 and corresponds to the screw 35 of the other forms of the device, to which the proper electrical supply conductors may be attached.

Secured on the upper side of ring 28 and suitably relatively disposed thereon are blocks 20 20 20 of insulating material. While these blocks may be secured in any desired manner I have herein illustrated the method of attachment to be by means of screws 56 passing through the block and having threaded engagement with the ring, the head thereof being suitably sunk within the block. Similarly secured to the upper sides of these blocks by means of screws 57 is the conducting ring 86 which carries the center contacts for the sockets. These center contacts are secured to extending lugs 36" on the ring 36 and consist in spring members 39 secured to these lugs by means of screws 40 The spring contact members employed in this modification are slightly diiferent from the analogous spring members employed in the other forms of my invention, so as to conveniently secure the proper disposition thereof to meet the center terminals of the lamps inserted in the corresponding contact shells. This modified construction of the spring member is shown in detail in Fig. 15. The ring 36 may be either a continuous conducting member, similar to the analogous ring of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which case only one bindingscrew 41 is provided, or it may be composed of a plurality of segments as in the structure illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6, in which case each segment is provided with such a binding-screw to provide for the lighting of some of the lamps in the cluster while the others remain extinguished.

In Fig. 14 I have shown in detail the insulating block 20, employed in this structure, where it is indicated as being of suflicient width to admit of the attachment thereto of the adjacent ends of the ring segments in such a manner as to insure their insulation from each other.

In this form of my invention, when the electrical connections are desired to be made, the screws 52, 52 are withdrawn to admit of the separation of the casing 42 from the back plate 43. Suflicient slack &

wire being employed it is apparent that when the casing is so removed the currentcarrying parts of the cluster will be carried therewith and the circuit connections may readily be made.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a supporting member, of a plurality of radially-extending legs therefor, an insulating block secured to each of said legs, electrical contact and lamp-holding devices carried by said blocks, and a casing inclosing said blocks and said contact and lampholding devices, said casing having openings registering with said lampholding devices.

2. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a supporting member, of a plurality of insulating blocks secured thereto, an electrically conductive member secured to said blocks, lamp-holding devices secured to said electrically conductive member, a second electrically conductive member separately secured to said blocks and arranged to conduct current to the center 0011- tacts of the lamps, a metallic casing having openings registering with said lamp-holding devices, and means surrounding each of said lamp-holding devices for insulating the same from said casing.

3. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a support, of a plurality of legs extending radially therefrom, an insulating member secured to each of said legs, and a pair of current-carrying supporting members separately secured to said insulating members, a plurality of lampreceiving contact shells carried by one of said members, and a plurality of contact members carried by the other of said members for association with said shells.

4. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a supporting member, of a plurality of legs extending therefrom, an insulating member secured to each of said legs, an electrically-conductive supporting ring secured to said insulating members, a plurality of lamp-receiving contact shells secured. to said ring, a second electricallyconductive supporting ring separately secured to said insulating members, and a plurality of contacts carried by said second ring and associated with said shells to engage the center terminals of lamps inserted therein.

5. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a support, of a plurality of insulating blocks carried by said support, an electrically-conductive member carried by said blocks, a plurality of lamp-receiving contact shells secured to and carried by said electrically-conductive member, a second electrically-conductive member separately carried by said blocks, and a plurality of contacts carried by said second electricallyconductive member, said contacts being associated with said contact shells to engage the center terminals of lamps inserted therein.

6. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with an electrically-conductive shellsupporting member, of a plurality of lamp-receiving shells connected together and supported by said member, a second electrically-conductive supporting member carried with and separated from said firstnamed supporting member by a plurality of insulating blocks, and a plurality of contact members carried by said second member and associated with said contact shells so as to engage with the center terminals of lamps inserted therein.

7. In a plural lamp-holding device, a current-carrying shell-supporting member, a plurality of lamp-receiving contact shells secured to and supported by said member, a second current-carrying supporting member mounted with said first-named member, a plurality of insulating blocks separating said currentcarrying members, and contact members carried by said second member and associated with said contact shells to engage the center terminals of lamps inserted therein.

8. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a supporting member, of a plu 'ality of insulating blocks secured thereto, each of said blocks having a series of separated bearing surfaces, electricallyconductive supporting rings secured on said surfaces, and lamp-holding devices and contacts therefor carried by said electrically conductive members.

9. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a support, of a plurality of insulating blocks secured to said support, a series of separated bearing surfaces on each of said insulating blocks, the corresponding surfaces on all of said blocks lying in the same plane, a current-carrying ring secured to a set of corresponding surfaces on said insulating blocks, lamp-holding de vices carried by said ring, and a second electrically-conductive ring secured to a separate set of corresponding surfaces on said insulating blocks.

10. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a support, of a plurality of insulating blocks secured tosaid member, each of said blocks having a series of bearing surfaces at different heights and different distances from the center of said support, the corresponding surfaces of all of the blocks lying in the same plane, an annular member upon each set of corresponding surfaces on said blocks and a plurality of lamp holding devices secured to a pair of said annular members, one of which is of electrically-conductive material, a separate annular member of conductive material serving to connect with the terminals of the lamps supported by said lamp-holding devices.

11. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a support, of a plurality of insulating blocks secured to said support, a group of lamp-holding devices, an electrically-conductive annular member to which one of the contacts of each of said lamp-holding devices is secured, and a plurality of electrically-conductive' segment members spanning the spaces between the insulating blocks and supporting the opposite contacts of the proximately disposed lamp-holding devices.

12. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a support, of a plurality of insulating blocks secured to said support, an electrically-conductive annular member secured to said blocks, a plurality of lamp terminal engaging contacts carried by said annular member, and a plurality of electrically-conductive segment members mounted on said insulating blocks, spanning the spaces therebetween, insulated from each other and adapted to make electrical connection with terminals of lamps inserted in the proximately disposed holding devices.

13. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination with a support, of a plurality of insulating blocks secured to said support, an annular current-carrying member secured to said insulating blocks, a group of lampreceiving contact shells secured to said member, a plurality of current-carrying segment members secured to said blocks and spanning the distance therebetween, and contact members carried by each of said segment members for engagement with the center terminals of lamps inserted in a portion of the group of holding devices.

14. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination of a bowl-shaped casing having lamp-receiving openings, a back-plate, a plurality of insulating blocks within said casing, two conducting plates secured to said blocks and spaced apart thereby,

threaded shells corresponding to and registering with the openings of the casing and secured to one of said plates, lamp-engaging contacts carried by the other of said plates, and binding terminals on each of said plates.

15. In a plural lamp-holding device, a plurality of insulating blocks, a conducting plate secured to said blocks, a plurality of threaded shells secured to said plate, a casing having openings through which said shells project, means for securing said casing and said shells together and insulating one from the other, a binding terminal for said plate, and a second plate within said casing arranged to conduct current to the center terminals of lamps inserted into said shells, said second-named plate having a binding terminal.

16. In a plural lamp-holding device, a plurality of insulating blocks, a conducting member secured to said blocks, a binding terminal therefor, a second conducting member, lamp-receiving shells secured to said last-named conducting member and arranged to support lamps in position to engage said first-named conducting member, a binding terminal for said second-named conducting member, and a casing inclosing said conducting members and blocks.

17. In a plural lamp-holding device, a plurality of insulating blocks, a conducting member secured to said blocks, a binding terminal therefor, a second conducting member, lamp-receiving shells secured to said last-named conducting member and arranged to support lamps in position to engage said first-named conducting member, a binding terminal for said second-named conducting member, a casing inclosing said conducting members and blocks, said casing having openings opposite said shells for the reception of lamps.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

Witnesses:

M. L. FARRAR, C. L. HOPKINS.

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