US3139315A - Light socket - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1964 BALDO 5, 3,139,315

LIGHT SOCKET Filed May 9, 1962 2 She etsSheet 2 FIG. 6. v J4 12 FIG. 8.

4&4 404 W Z, we 34 9 9 Z A I 1 2a FIG. IO.

INVENTOR. 1. 0/5 8A 1. D0 8.

BY m i g/ v 977' ORNE' 75 United States Patent 3,139,315 LIGHT SOCKET Luis Baldo S., Edificio Ease, Oiicina -13, Ave. FCO Nliranda, Chacaito, Caracas, Venezuela Filed May 9, 1962, Ser. No. 193,411 4 Claims. (Cl. 339-99).

The present invention relates generally to mechanisms for making electrical contact to a pair of insulated wires and specifically relates to an improved light socket which may be quickly and simply mounted on a pair of parallel insulated wires and then, at a later time, simply removed therefrom.

It is generally desirable to provide electrical fixtures which may be simply and securely connected, by hand and without the use of tools, to a pair of insulated wires for electrical and mechanical connection thereto. The standard method for applying an electrical connector, such as a plug, a plug receptacle or a light socket, to a pair of parallel wires requires that the insulation be stripped from the Wires. The connector is then secured to the wire by means of screws or the like and an insulating cover is applied over the bare Wire and the screws.

In order to simplify the connection of such devices to insulated Wire, there have been provided a number of different mechanisms whereby pronged elements are included within the connector in order to pierce through the insulation and to make electrical contact with the conductor of the wire. Although such devices provide far more simple securement arrangements than were known in the past, there remains a substantial need for improvement. Specifically, many of these devices are relatively undependable in their operation and fail to make firm electrical contact between the conductive element of the wire and the piercing elements of the connector. Still further, many of these connectors are cumbersome and difiicult to use due to the construction features employed. It is, of course, desirable to utilize a single and simple movement in order to effect the required connection to a pair of parallel wires. Conversely, it is undesirable to require the user of such a device to screw down a protective cap through many turns, to take the device apart in order to actuate the internal piercing members, or generally, to go through any complicated process in order to effect the purpose of the device.

Generally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector mechanism of improved characteristics for simple and dependable electrical and mechanical connection to a pair of parallel insulated wires. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a light socket for securement to a pair of insulated wires utilizing a simple one-quarter turn to effect the desired connection.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a simple attachable and detachable light socket constructed of relatively few individual parts.

In accordance with one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a light socket comprising a body and a rotatable camming member mounted on said body. The body includes, at its lower end, receiving and conducting means for accepting the base of an incandescent electrical bulb. Alternatively, other electrical connection means may be provided instead of a light bulb socket. is formed two wire-receiving channels on opposite sides of the body. Wire piercing means are rigidly mounted in the body and are positioned within the channels and are electrically connected to the receiving and conducting means. The wire piercing means include a plurality of metal prongs placed along'the circumference of a circle about the axis of a light socket extending upwardly and At the upper end of the body, there Patented June 30, 1964 Ice inwardly into said channels. The camming member is mounted on the upper end of the body for rotation with respect thereto by means of an integral split shaft and retaining knob and extends between the wire-receiving channels and between the piercing means. Pairs of cams are provided at the opposite ends of the camming member. One of each pairs of cams is developed for camming action axially and downwardly of the light socket and the other cam of each pair being developed for camming action radially and outwardly of the light socket body. The cams are positioned such that they interact with and enter into the two wire-receiving channels when the camming member is rotated with respect to the light socket body. One of each of said pair of cams is effective to force a wire firmly down within the wire-receiving channel while the other cam is effective to force the wire radially outwardly for camming the wire downwardly and outwardly onto the upwardly and inwardly extending metal prongs of the wire piercing means in order to make electrical contact with the conducting means at the core of the wire.

The above brief description as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill be best appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of one presently preferred embodiment of the invention when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a light socket according to the present invention with a pair of parallel, insulated wires received within the light socket prior to the actuation of the camming or locking member for making electrical contact;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, however, showing the camming device in its locked position with the light socket mechanically and electrically connected to the pair of wires;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4 showing the rotatable camming or locking member in an intermediate position during the locking procedure of the light socket;

FIG. 7 is a sectional View along the line 77 of FIG. 6 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 illustrating the camming member in its locked position with the insulated wires pierced by and in electrical contact with the piercing elements;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the camming member incorporated in the light socket according to the present invention illustrating the radial and axial camming surfaces.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is shown a light socket, generally designated by the numeral 10, which may be simply and securely attached to a pair of parallel insulated wires and thereafter simplyvremoved from the wires without any resulting damage to the insulation. The light socket 10 consists of two conductive elements and two non-conductive elements (although other embodiments of the present invention may be manufactured utilizing a greater number of individual pieces). The light socket 10 includes as one of its basic structural units, a generally cylindrical body 12. The body 12 is formed at its lower end with a bulb receiving opening 14 and is provided at its.

upper end with a pair of wire- receiving channels 16, 18. The wire-receiving channels are formed by the upwardly extending portions 20, 22 of the body 12. Intermediate theends of the body 12, there is provided a structural center portion 24 which is utilized for the securement of the remaining elements of the light socket 12.

A pair of bulband wire-contacting members 26, 28 are mounted within the body 12. In this illustrative embodiment, the member 26 provides a central contact 30 for a bulb received within the opening 14 and member 28 provides a threaded sleeve 32 for contact with the complementary threads on an incandescent light bulb. Alternatively, the members 26, 28 may form other types of point contacts for cooperation with the various other types of contact arrangements found on incandescent bulbs. The bulband wire-contacting members 26, 28 are conveniently secured within the body 12 of the light socket at the structural portion 24 of the body. In the presently disclosed embodiment, the members 26, 28 are molded directly into the body 12, however, other securernent means will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art.

Extending upwardly from the level of the top of the structural portion 24 are a plurality of pointed prongs 34. These prongs are integral portions of the members 26, 28 and extend upwardly and inwardly within the wire channels 16, 18. It will be appreciated that wires placed within the channels 16, 18 and pressed downwardly and outwardly onto the upwardly and inwardly extending pointed prongs 34, will be forced into electrical contact with the members 26, 28 and thereby into electrical contact with a bulb positioned within the bulb receiving opening 14. A camming member, generally designated by the numeral 36, is provided to perform the functions of pressing wires outwardly and downwardly onto the pointed prongs. The cammingmember 36 constitutes the fourth and final element of the light socket 10 according to the present invention.

The camming member 36, as seen in perspective view in FIG. 10, comprises a handle portion 38 at its upper end, a camming portion 46 intermediate its ends, and mounting means 42 at its lower end comprising a split shaft and retaining knob. The camming member 36 is mounted axially on the light socket 10 by means of the interengagement of the split shaft and knob 42 with a central axial opening 44 formed in the structural portion 24. As may be best seen in FIG. 10, the shaft and knob 42 includes a cylindrical shaft 42a which extends downwardly from the camming section 40 and which terminates at a knob portion formed of four separate knob elements 42b, 42c, 42d, and 42a- It will be appreciated that the diameter of the shaft 42a is such that it is intimately received within the opening 44 of the body 12 and that the diameter of the knob portion 421'), 2c, 42dand 42c normally is greater than the diameter of the shaft but that it can be pressed to equal the diameter of the shaft 42a for purposes of assembly. The camming member 36 is assembled with the body 10 by pressing same downwardly against the opening 44 such that the individual portions 42b, 42c, 42d, and 42s are cammed inwardly reducing the overall diameter of the knob such that the member 42 passes through the hole 44. As may be best seen in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, a recessed opening 46 is provided below the opening 44 to receive the expanded knob members 4217, 42c, 42d and 42e. The mounting means 42 efi'ectively mounts the camming member 36 between the wire-receiving channels 16, 18 at the upper end of the body 12 and provides for the rotation of the camming member 36 about the central axis of the body 12.

As may be best seen in FIGS. through 9 and 10,

the camming portion 40 of the camming member 36 includes two pairs of cams at opposite sides of the camming member. For the sake of clarity in presentation,

only one pair of cams will be described. A first cam, labeled 4i)R, is a radial cam which is eifective, as de scribed below, to cam a wire contained within the chan nels 16, 18 radially outwardly into engagement with the prongs 34. A'secon'd cam, labeled 4iiA, is an axial cam which is effective, as will be described be low, to force a Wire Within the channel 16, 18 downwardly into contact with the prongs 34. It will be appreciated that the two cams 40-A and 40-R may be replaced with a single three-dimensional cam for producing the same result.

A fuller understanding of the construction and operation of the camming member 36 in relation to the body 12 of the light socket will be obtained by considering the drawings of FIGS 5 through 9 and the following description of the operation of the light socket 10. In order to attach the light socket 10. mechanically and electrically to a pair of wires, such as the Wires W illus trated in the drawings, the individual insulated wires are placed about the camming or locking member 36 when that member is rotated into the un-locked position as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 and into the wirereceiving channels 15, 18. 'As the camming member 36 is rotated, by a person grasping the handle portion 38, each of the cams 40-A and 4tl-R of the pairs of cams on opposite ends of the camming member 36 respectively engage the wires W. Since the camming portion 49 of the camming member 36 is longer in one direction than in the perpendicular direction, as the camming member 36 is rotated from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 7 (in the direction of the arrow of FIG. 7), the cams 4i)-R will begin to force the wires W outwardly into engagement with the prongs 34. At the same time, the axial cams 4ti-A will force the wires W downwardly into engagement with the prongs 34 and against the top wall of the structural section 24. The combined activity of the two pairs of cams 40-A and 40R will effectively force the wires W downwardly and outwardly into the corners formed between the upstanding bosses 20, 22 and the top surface of the structural portion 24 of the body 12. As the wires W are cammed downwardly and outwardly by the camming portion 40, the upwardly and inwardly extending pointed prongs 34 will pierce their way through the insulation and into contact with the metallic cores. As the camming member 36 is turned through a fullone-quarter turn into the locked position illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the wires W will be forced against each of the pointed prongs 34 within each of the Wire- rcceiving channels 16, 18 and the cams 4tl-A and 40-R will securely lock the wires W in mechanical connection to the light socket 10.

The light socket 10 may be removed from the wires W simply by turning the handle 38 of the camming member 36 through ninety degrees in either direction. The sequence of events will be directly opposite to that described above and may be best appreciated by progressively reviewing FIGS. 8 and 9, 6 and 7, and 4 and 5.

Upon removal of the light socket 10 from a pair of parallel wires W, the small piercing points within the insulation of the wires close up such that the Wire may be reused without any deleterious efiect. A light socket 10 may be secured at one position along the length of the wire and utilized for any selective length of time at that location; It may be then simply detached and transferred to another location as desired by the user.

It will be appreciated that the present invention may be incorporated in constructions other than light sockets.- For example, the body 12 as illustrated herein may terminate at its lower end in a male plug, a plug receptacle or in a contact box rather than in a light bulb-receiving opening. Many other such embodiments will readily ocour to those skilled in the art.

The light socket illustrated and described above is merely illustrative of the many embodiments which may incorporate the invention disclosed herein. Therefore, the following claims should be interpreted in accordance with the scope of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. A light socket for removable attachment to a pair of parallel insulated wires comprising a body and a rotatable camming member, said body including receiving and conducting means at the lower end or" said body for accepting the base of an incandescent electric bulb and making electrical contact therewith, two wire-receiving channels formed on opposite sides of the upper end of said body, and wire piercing means within said body at said wire-receiving channels formed on opposite sides of the upper end of said body, said wire piercing means being electrically connected to said receiving and conducting means, said wire-piercing means including a plurality of metal prongs positioned at the circumference of a circle about the axis of said body and extending upwardly and inwardly into said channels, said camming member being received on said body for rotation with respect thereto and mounted between said wire receiving channels and between said piercing means, said camming member having formed thereon two pairs of cams at opposite ends of said camming member, one of each of said pairs of cams developed for camming action axially and downwardly of said light socket and the other. cam of each pair being developed for camming action radially and outwardly of said light socket, said camming member and said pairs of cams being positioned such that said pairs of cams interact with and enter said two channels respec tively when said camming member rotates with respect to said body, one each of said cams camming wire within said channels firmly down within said channels and the other cam camming said wire radially outwardly onto said upwardly and inwardly extending metal prongs such that said prongs pierce the insulation of said wire and make electrical contact with said Wire.

2. A light socket for removable attachment to a pair of parallel insulated wires comprising a body and a rotatable camming member, said body including receiving and conducting means at the lower end of said body for accepting the base of an incandescent electric bulb and making electrical contact therewith, two Wire-receiving channels formed on opposide sides of the upper end of said body, and wire piercing means within said body at said wire-receiving channels electrically connected to said twocontact receiving and conducting means, said wire-piercing means including a plurality of metal prongs positioned at the circumference of a circle about the axis of said body and extending upwardly and inwardly into said channels, said camming member having an integral shaft and split retaining knob, a complementary opening formed axially within said body for receiving said shaft, said opening and said shaft mounting said camming member on said body for rotation with respect thereto and between said Wire receiving channels and between said piercing means, said camming member having formed thereon two pairs of cams at opposite ends of said camming member, one of each of said pairs of cams developed for camming action axially and downwardly of said light socket and the other cam of each pair being developed for camming action radially and outwardly of said light socket, said camming member and said pairs of cams being positioned such that said pairs of cams interact with and enter said two channels respectively when said camming member rotates with respect to said body, one each of said cams camming said wires within said channels firmly down within said channels and the other cam camming said wires radially outwardly onto said upwardly and inwardly extending metal prongs such that said prongs pierce the insulation of said wire and make electrical contact with said Wire.

3. An electrical connector for removable attachment to a pair of parallel insulated wires comprising a body and a rotatable camming member, said body including two electrical contacts at the lower end of said body, two wire-receiving channels formed on opposite sides of the upper end of said body, and wire piercing means within said body at said wire-receiving channels electrically connected to said two electrical contacts, said wire-piercing means including a plurality of metal prongs positioned at the circumference of a circle about the axis of said body and extending upwardly and inwardly of said channels, said camming member being received on said body for rotation with respect thereto and mounted between said wire receiving channels and between said piercing means, said camming member having formed thereon two pairs of cams at opposite ends of said camming member, one of each of said pairs of cams developed for camming action axially and downwardly of said body and the other cam of each pair being developed for camming action radially and outwardly of said body, said camming member and said pairs of cams being positioned such that said pairs of cams interact with and enter said two channels respectively when said camming member rotates with respect to said body, one each of said cams camming said wires within said channels firmly down within said channels and the other cam camming said wire radially outwardly onto said upwardly and inwardly extending metal prongs such that said prongs pierce the insulation of said wire and make electrical contact with said wire.

4. A light socket for removable attachment to a pair of parallel insulated wires comprising a body and a rotatable camming member, said body including receiving and conducting means at the lower end of said body for accepting the base of an electric bulb and making electrical contact therewith, two wire-receiving channels formed on opposite sides of the upper end of said body, and wire piercing means within said body at said wire-receiving channels electrically connected to said receiving and conducting means, said wire-piercing means including a plurality of metal prongs positioned at the circumference of a circle about the axis of said body and extending upwardly and inclined radially into said channels, said cam ming member being received on said body for rotation with respect thereto and mounted between said wire receiving channels and between said piercing means, said camming member having formed thereon two pairs of cams at opposite ends of said camming member, one of each of said pairs of cams developed for camming action axially and downwardly of said light socket and the other cam of each pair being developed for camming action radially of said light socket, said camming member and said pairs of cams being positioned such that said pairs of cams interact with and enter said two channels respectively when said camming member rotates with respect to said body, one each of said cams camming Wire within said channels firmly down within said channels and the other cam camming said wire radially onto said metal prongs such that said prongs pierce the insulation of said wire and make electrical contact with said wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,259,068 Johns Oct. 14, 1941 2,285,661 Hryzack June 9, 1942 2,465,700 Tuttle Mar. 29, 1949 2,475,243 Irrgang July 5, 1949 2,869,101 Benander Jan. 13, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 148,725 Great Britain Aug. 5, 1920 70,573 Norway June 24, 1946

Claims (1)

1. 3. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT TO A PAIR PARALLEL INSULATED WIRES COMPRISING A BODY AND A ROTATABLE CAMMING MEMBER, SAID BODY INCLUDING TWO ELECTRICAL CONTACT AT THE LOWER END OF SAID BODY, TWO WIRE-RECEIVING CHANNELS FROMED ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY, AND WIRE PIERCING MEANS WITHIN SAID BODY AT SAID WIRE-RECEIVING CHANNELS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID TWO ELECTRICAL CONTACTS, SAID WIRE-PIERCING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF METAL PRONGS POSITIONED AT THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF A CIRCLE ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID BODY AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY OF SAID CHANNELS SAID CAMMING MEMBER BEING RECEIVED ON SAID BODY FOR ROTATION WITH RESPECT THERETO AND MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID WIRE RECEIVING CHANNELS AND BETWEEN SAID PIERCING MEANS, SAID CAMMING MEMBER HAVING FORMED THEREON TWO PAIRS OF CAMS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CAMMING MEMBER,

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