US2169964A - Lamp socket device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 15, 1939 H. J. MURPHY 2,169,964

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Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE LAMP SOCKET DEVICE- Application October 30, 1987, Serial No. 172,002

4 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved shielding means adapted to be assembled with a lamp socket device for preventing the passage of foreign mat-' ter through an aperture of a supporting panel into which said socket device extends and to installations of the same.

Referring to the drawing, in which I have illustrated apreferred form of my invention:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a complete installation showing a socketdevice extending through an aperture of a supporting panel and my improved shielding means assembled with the socket device and positioned so as to overlie the aperture of the panel;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the installation shown in Fig. 1 looking from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end View of a socket device with my guide means assembled therewith looking from the left of Fig. '1; and

Fig. 4 is: a section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

My improved shielding means is particularly, though not exclusively, intended for use with socket devices of a type now commonly used in automobile manufacture. The socket device is adapted to extend through a panel, which may be the body of an automobile, into an enclosure having a glass face, such as the tail light of an automobile. The preferred socket devioe illustrated and described is detachably secured to the panel through means of an attaching member having shouldered portions engaging material of the panel adjacent the aperture. As a result of this construction of the device a lamp may be assembled with the socket before the socket is attached to the panel whereby the lamp, which is to be disposed on that side of the panel having the enclosure, may be inserted from the rear of the same. It has been found that in order that the socket device may be secured to the panel in the aforesaid manner, it is necessary for the panel to have an aperture of substantially larger diameter than the diameter of that portion of the socket device extending through the aperture. As a result of this condition, an opening remainsbetween the outer surface of that portion of the socket device extending through the aperture and the edge of the aperture which allows dust or other foreign particles to pass through the aperture and adhere to the glass of the tail light thereby tending to oppose passage of light through the glass. It is the object of my present invention to provide a shielding means of simple construction which may be assembled with the socket device in such a way that it will overlie and close equal to that of the plate II.

the space between the socket device and the edge of the panel aperture when the socket is secured to the panel so as to prevent the passage of dirtying matter through the space.

My preferred socket device, as illustrated and described, is similar to the socket device which is set out in a prior application, Serial No. 154,609, filed July 20, 1937, and comp-rises a socket member in the form of a tubular shell I and a tubular handle member 2 secured in end-to-end relation through means of a tubular rivet 3 (Fig. 3). Each of the members I and 2 is provided with an opening 4 at its connected end to allow passage of a tubular shank of the rivet 3 therethrough. The shell I is opened at its end opposed to that having the opening 4 for the purpose of receiving and holding the base of a lamp (not shown). The lamp may be secured to the shell I, in my preferred form, through means of pins (not shown) extending from the base of the lamp and engaging with bayonet slots 5 pressed out of the material of the shell. The socket device is preferably secured to a supporting panel 6 by means of an attaching member I having a base portion I disposed intermediate the connected ends of the tubular members I and 2. The base portion l has an aperture 8 adapted to receive a shank of the rivet 3 whereby the attaching member is assembled with the socket device. The attaching member I has yieldable shouldered fingers 9 extending from the base portion and adapted to pass through an aperture ID of the panel support 6 and enter into snap fastener engagement with material of the support 6 adjacent the aperture so as to secure the device to the support. It will be noticed that the diameter of that portion of the shell I extending through the aperture I0 is substantially less than the diameter of the aperture I0 whereby an opening Ill (Fig. 4) remains between the outer peripheral surface of the shell and the edge of the aperture I0.

My improved shielding means comprises, in my preferred form, a circular, substantially fiat metal plate I I and a circular part I2 of felt or other suitable material having a diameter substantially The part I2 is secured to one face of the plate II through means of attaching portions I3 integral with the peripheral edge of the plate II. The attaching portions I3 have portions extending outwardly from the plane of the plate I I for a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the part l2 and free end portions I3 engaging a surface of the part I2 for clamping the part to the plate. The plate II has an aperture I4 substantially in the center thereof adapted to receive the shank of the rivet 3 and the part I2 has an opening I therein (Fig. 3) through which the shell I and arms 9 of the attaching member I extend when the parts of the socket device are secured together.

In assembling the parts of my socket device, the attaching member 1 is positioned with respect to the socket member I so that its base portion I is in adjacent relation to the end of the socket I having the aperture 4 with the aperture 8 of the base in alignment with the aperture 4. Next the plate II is moved into adjacent relation to the outer side of the base I of the attaching member with the aperture I4 of the base in alignment with the aperture 8 of the attaching member. Finally, the handle member 2 is moved toward the other parts so that the end of the same having the aperture 4 is disposed substantially adjacent the outer side of the plate I I with the opening 4 of the handle member in alignment with the openings 4, 8 and I4 of the respective other parts. The parts may now be secured together through means such as the tubular rivet 3 providing a shank portion I6 (Fig. 4) extending through the apertures of the part and a head portion I1 at each end of the shank portion engaging. material of the socket member I and handle member 2 adjacent the respective openings 4, as most clearly shown in Fig. 4. The rivet 3 is of tubular form with an opening at both ends to allow passage of an electrical conductor (not shown) from the handle member 2 to an electric contact device (not shown) contained Within the socket member I. In my preferred installation illustrated in Fig. 4 I have shown a shielding ring I8 of felt or other suitable material disposed within the shell I. The ring I8 has a central aperture I9 of less diameter than the bore of the shank I6 of the rivet 3, but large enough to allow passage of an electrical conductor therethrough.

The socket member is detachably secured to the supporting panel 6 by moving the shell member I through the aperture I0 of the panel until the shoulders. of the fingers 99 engage material of the panel adjacent the aperture I0. When the socket device is in secure attachment to the panel, the material of the part I2 of the shielding means abuts an opposite face of the panel from that upon which the lamp-receiving end of the shell I is disposed and overlies the opening Ill between the outer periphery of the shell member I and the edge of the aperture II! of the panel so as to prevent any chance of foreign matter passing through the opening I0 into the enclosure forming the tail light.

It is understood that I do not wish to be limited by the particular installation hereinabove set forth because my improved shielding means may be assembled with devices other than the particular socket device illustrated and described for carrying out a similar object. Also, I do not wish to be limited to the exact form of shielding means illustrated and described because modifications may be made in the form of the same without departing from the scope and spirit of my present invention.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with an apertured supporting structure, an electrical socket device secured to said structure, one end of said socket device extending through said aperture and being disposed on one side of said structure, the diameter of that portion of said device extending through said aperture being less than the diameter of said aperture whereby an opening remains between said device and the edge of said aperture, said socket device comprising a pair of substan tially tubular shell members connected together at their ends, each of said shell members having an opening at its connected end permitting passage of a wire therethrough, and a shielding means assembled with said socket device, said shielding means having an apertured plate intermediate the connected ends of said shell members and a piece of packing material secured to said plate, said material encircling one of said shell members, and a hollow rivet means extending through the respective openings of the connected ends of said shell members and the aperture of said plate for securing said parts together, the material of said shielding means overlying the opening between said device and the edge of the aperture of said supporting structure so as to prevent passage of foreign matter through said last-mentioned opening.

2. In combination with an apertured supporting structure, an electrical socket device secured to said structure, one end of said socket device extending through said aperture, the diameter of that portion of said device extending through said aperture being less than the diameter of said aperture whereby an opening remains between said device and the edge of said aperture, said socket device comprising a pair of substantially tubular shell members connected together at their ends, each of said shell members having an opening at its connected end permitting passage of a wire therethrough, one of said shells having means at an end opposed to said connected end for receiving a lamp and the like, an attaching member having an apertured base portion intermediate the connected ends of said shells, a pair of yieldable fingers extending from said base portion, said yieldable fingers being disposed outside of said shell and having shoulder means in engagement with the material of said supporting structure adjacent the aperture therein whereby said socket device is detachably secured to said structure, and a shielding means having an apertured plate member intermediate the connected ends of said shells and a piece of packing material secured to said plate, said material encircling one of said tubular shells and said pair of yieldable fingers, and a hollow rivet means extending through the respective openings of the connected ends of said shells, said base portion. and said plate member for securing said parts together, the material of said shielding means overlying the opening between said socket device and the edge of said aperture so as to prevent passage of foreign matter through said opening.

3. In combination with an apertured supporting structure, an electrical socket device secured to said structure, one end of said socket device extending through said aperture, the diameter of that portion of said device extending through said aperture being less than the diameter of said aperture whereby an opening remains between said device and an edge of said aperture, said socket device having means at one end for receiving a lamp and the like, a shielding means having a piece of packing material encircling said socket device and an attaching member carried by said socket having yieldable fingers disposed outside said socket device and extending through said packing material, said yieldable fingers having shoulder means in engagement with the material of said supporting structure adjacent the aperture therein whereby said socket device is detachably secured to said supporting structure, and said packing material overlying the opening between said device and the edge of said aperture so as to prevent passage of foreign matter through said opening.

4. In combination with an apertured supporting structure, an electrical socket device secured to said structure, one end of said socket device extending through said aperture, the diameter of that portion of said device extending through said aperture being less than the diameter of said aperture whereby an opening remains between,

said device and an edge of said aperture, said socket device having means at one end for receiving a lamp and the like, a shielding means having a piece of packing material encircling said socket device and an attaching member carried by said socket having a base portion at an end of said socket opposed to said lamp-receiving end and yieldable fingers having shoulder means in engagement with the material of said supporting structure adjacent the aperture therein whereby said socket device is detachablly secured to said supporting structure, and said packing material overlying the opening between said device and the edge of the aperture of said supporting structure so as to prevent passage of foreign matter through said last-mentioned opening.

HOWARD J. MURPHY.

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