US2725546A - Resilient lamp socket for mounting in an apertured panel - Google Patents

Description

, Wdrr 2K0 zr Z 'n W Nov. 29, 1955 R E MOORE ETAL 2,725,546

RESILIEN'I LAMP SOCKET FOR MOUNTING IN AN APERTURED PANEL Filed Nov. 6, 1955 Inveniazrs 2056/1 5 Maw e RESILIENT LAMP SOCKET FOR MOUNTING IN AN APERTURED PANEL Robert E. Moore and Warren R. Bower, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignors to Amana Refrigeration, Inc., Amana, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,542 2 Claims. (Cl. 339126) The present invention relates to electric lamp sockets, and more particularly, is concerned with a resilient electric lamp socket for providing a simple yet highly efficient mounting for a light bulb or similar electrical item upon a sheet metal panel.

We are, of course, aware that lamp sockets, providing a support for a lamp bulb or the like relative to a wall surface, have been known for some time in the prior art. However, to our knowledge, none of these prior art devices provide a balanced socket securely fixed to its supporting wall at a plurality of points, yet in which only a single retaining screw is required, and in which the retaining screw absorbs only a minor portion of the fastening load. Likewise, to our knowledge, the prior art lamp bulb or electrical outlet supports wherein a secure fastening means is provided have not included integral resilient support means whereby the socket may be subjected to continuous impact stresses without fracture either of the support or the lamp carried thereby.

By means of the present invention, a support is provided which completely overcomes the deficiencies of the prior artand permits the placement of a lamp bulb or the like upon a sheet metal door member which is under constant use. Although, as will be apparent, the mounting of a light source on a door will subject the light support to constant impact, nevertheless, the novel support herein described will completely cushion shocks from such door activity and will simultaneously maintain a positive grip on the panel carrying the support, without the need for a complex supporting mount.

These functions are accomplished in the present invention through the provision of a lamp support constructed substantially entirely of a resilient material such as rubber, which is secured in an aperture in a supporting panel by means of a plurality of radially projecting buttresses which cooperate with the panel to provide a firm attach- I tion with a lamp bulb to prevent ingress of moisture into the lamp socket.

Still other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a con-= sideration of the attached drawing in which a preferred embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, and wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view in cross-section showing the novel lamp socket and its relationship to a supportingv panel and lamp bulb; Figure'Z is a side elevational view of the lamp support per se; and

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the structure of Figure 1 as viewed from the right in that figure. As shown on the drawings: i The construction of the present invention may clearly be seen from a consideration of Figures 1, 2 and 3, As.

is therein shown, a support body, generally indicated'at 10, is provided having a peripheralflange 11 and radially projecting buttresses 12, 13 and 14. Each of the but-;

- tresses 12, 13 and 14 is formed integrally with the main recess 18 thereof.

ground lead 19 and the conductor 20 are likewise perbody 10 and extends into close relationship with the flange 11 without actually abutting the flange. Thus, as may be seen from Figures 1 and 2, spaces 15 are provided between the ends of the abutments 12, 13 and 14' and the adjacent face of the flange 11. The spaces 15 are molded or cut to provide a gap slightly narrower than the thickness of supporting panel material 16 upon which the lamp socket is mounted. Thus, a gripping action will be provided by the flange 11 in cooperation: with the abutments 12, 13 and 14 when the lamp body.

10 is in its assembled position relative to a supporting panel 16. I

The lamp support body 10 is constructed of a dielectric material having substantial resiliency. Materials suitable for this structure includeboth natural and artificial rubher, as well as the readily moldable plastics such as vinyl. During the molding operation in which the entire housing 10 is formed as an integral piece, a lamp socket 17 is preferably bonded to the material in the During this molding operation, the

manently secured within the body 10. The lead 19.is

soldered directly to the socket 17 which is constructed of a highly conductive material such as copper, and the conductor 20 is insulated from the socket 18 by means and which cooperate with similar recesses in the panel during installation to provide a bayonet type fastening.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel lamp support socket.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified, shock absorbing lamp socket capable of extremely simple and rapid installation in a sheet metal panel.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a resilient lamp socket mounting giving a firm support for a lamp bulb or the like, and simultaneously sealing the aperture utilized in the securing of the support to a carrying panel.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece resilient lamp socket having a lamp base socket with electrical source and ground connections secured thereto and molded within the rubber base as an assembled part thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel lamp support having an integral seal for cooperaof a plastic spacer 21. The end contact 22 of the conductor 20 is positioned along the central axis of the socket 18 for contact with a center post contact 24 of conventional form associated with the base of a lamp "25 mounted for support in the socket 17.

While the preferred form of the present invention contemplates the bonding of the socket 17, and the con.

duits 19 and 20 to each other and to the resilient material of the body 10, it is to be understood that the socket 17 may, if desired, be positioned within the recess 18 after the molding of the body 10. In such case, the socket 17 is retained firmly in position by the projecting threads 23 of the body 10. These threads cooperate with the corresponding outer threaded surface of the socket 17 to maintain the socket snugly within the recess 18-.

Likewise, the conduits 19 and 20 may be secured to the socket 17 after the molding of the body portion 10 if so desired. However, it will be appreciated that the separate assembly of the socket 17 and the conductors 19 and 20 to each other and within the body portion 10 after the molding of the body, is a much less commercially.

acceptable practice since it requires unnecessary assem bly steps and, especially, since it requires the soldering of the conductor 19 to the socket shell 17, a relatively difiicult operation in the assembled condition.

Patented Nov. 29, 1955 The body of the lamp support is mounted in an aperture 26 in the plate or panel 16. The aperture 26 is provided with a plurality of peripheral recesses 27, 28 and 29 having configurations substantially the same as the respective buttresses 12, 13 and 14. The innermost diameter of the aperture 26 is substantially the same as but slightly larger than the outer diameter of the body portion 10, exclusive of the buttresses. Thus, the buttresses will pass through the aperture 26 only when aligned with the respective recesses 27, 28 and 29. In order to permit the insertion of the lamp support in the aperture 26 in only a single position, one of the buttresses and its corresponding recess, namely, buttress 14 and recess 29 are provided with a somewhat different configuration from the remaining buttresses and recesses. In the modification shown in the drawings, the buttress 14 is provided with a tangential side 30 which cooperates with a similar tangentially directed side 31 of the recess 29.

As may be seen from a consideration of Figures 1 and 3, the lamp support is designed for tight engage ment with the panel 16 in its assembled position. This is achieved through the insertion of the body 10 through the aperture 26 with a subsequent rotation of the body 10 through an angle of approximately 60. This may be seen clearly from Figure 3 wherein the final position of the buttress 14 is shown relative to the recess 29 through which it passes during the assembly operation. The body 10 is maintained in its assembled, rotated position by means of a single screw 32 which passes through an aperture 33 in the flange 11 and an aperture 34 in the panel 16. The aperture 34 is, of course, positioned in the panel 16 at a point which will align with the aperture 33 in the flange 11 after the entire body 10 has been rotated into its final position as shown in Figure 3. In most installations, the screw 34 is of the self tapping type, but it is, of course, to be understood that any type of similar fastening means may be utilized to maintain the lamp socket in its assembled position.

In view of the resilient nature of the material of the body portion 10, and in view of the fact that the flange 11 projects radially outwardly past the recesses 27, 28 and 29, it will be apparent that when the lamp support is in its assembled position, a seal is provided which will prevent the passage of air or moisture through the aperture 26. Further, due to the resiliency of the buttresses, and in view of the fact that the spaces are constructed to be somewhat narrower than the thickness of the panel 16, a very tight grip is provided between the body 10 and the panel 16. In this manner, the body 10 is actually very snugly maintained against the panel 16 at four places, namely the screw attachment at 32, and the buttress attachment at 12, 13 and 14. Thus, the socket 17 is maintained in resilient relationship to the panel 16 at numerous points about its periphery without need for more than a single screw. It will be appreciated that the simplification provided has greatly reduced assembly costs, while at the same time providing a sealed, shock-proof lamp mounting.

It has been found in practice that the lamp support above described has worked very satisfactorily in connection with refrigerator or food freezer doors in which the source of illumination is mounted on the swinging door rather than within the food storage compartment. Thus, in spite of the fragility of the ordinary electric lamp, the resilient nature of the body portion 10, along with its resilient means of securement to the panel 16, which in the case of a refrigerator door would be the inner door liner, has provided sufficient dampening effect to prevent damage to the lamp supported thereby even though the door is harshly closed over long periods of time.

As may be seen from Figure l, a sealing lip 18a is provided on the support body 10 for cooperation with the lamp bulb 25. This lip has proved advantageous in installations such as that described above since refrigerators and similar articles are apt to have frost or liquid condensate on the surfaces of the inner walls at various times during their use. By providing a somewhat inwardly turned lip 18a in the lamp body 10 which cooperates with the lamp bulb 25 to form an annular seal therewith, condensate or frost melted by the heat generated from the lamp source are prevented from ingress within the recess 18. It is, of course, apparent that the prevention of such ingress is desirable since the electrical components within the body 10, such as, for example, the socket 17 and the contacts associated with the conductors and 20, must be retained in a corrosion free condition for eflicient operation. Further, by maintaining the recess 13 in a dry state, no possibility of a short circuit between the conductors 19 and 20 is present.

it will thus be apparent that we have provided a novel light socket and support providing a substantially impact resistant mounting capable of simple, yet firm, attachment to a sheet metal panel or the like.

It is, of course, understood that modifications and variations may be made in the structure herein disclosed without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. A light socket for mounting on a panel of relatively thin material having an aperture therein and recesses in the edge, comprising a resilient body portion having a cavity therein for the reception of a lamp bulb, a peripheral flange on said resilient body, a minimum of three buttresses extending axially along said body and projecting radially therefrom at a point on the opposite side of said flange from said lip and spaced axially from said flange a distance slightly less than the thickness of said wall material, said aperture and recesses in said wall having a configuration substantially the same as a crossscction of said body taken through said buttresses, said flange projecting radially outwardly from said body a distance greater than the maximum projection of said buttresses, securing means through said flange and said panel, whereby said flange will cover said aperture to prevent the passage of moisture or the like therethrough and rotation is prevented.

2. The invention as described in claim 1, said flange projecting radially at substantially the mid point of said socket, said panel being in juxtaposition with said flange and secured thereto, whereby sagging is prevented in said light socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 789,734 Hochhausen May 16, 1905 833,342 Salisbury Oct. 16, 1906 1,724,592 Hudson Aug. 13, 1929 2,012,979 Von Holtz Sept. 3, 1935 2,037,630 Hudson Apr. 14, 1936 2,102,625 Hubbell, Ir. Dec. 21, 1937 2,116,162 Smalley May 3, 1938 2,151,882 Woodhead Mar. 28, 1939 2,460,636 Holloway Feb. 1, 1949 2,620,375 Valites Dec. 2, 1952 2,633,483 Hafke Mar. 31, 1953 2,694,798 Cole Nov. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 119,769 Austria Nov. 10, 1930

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