GB2229326A - A lamp holder adapted for mounting in an aperture in a board - Google Patents

Abstract

A lamp holder adapted at its front to accommodate a lamp (32) and at its rear being provided with electrical connections (34) associated with the lamp, has a surface (14) directed towards its front and adapted to abut the rear of a lamp holder mounting board around an aperture in which the lamp holder is adapted for mounting. At least one resilient or resiliently mounted catch (16) is located between the front of the holder and said surface (14) and is capable of deforming on movement of the holder through said passage and returning to its original condition after further movement through the passage to overlie the front of the mounting board when the surface (14) abuts the rear of the board. The catch (16) extends rearwardly from the portion of the lamp holder adapted to accommodate the lamp, and may have a notch to accomodate the edge of the mounting board surrounding the aperture. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements in or relating to Lamp Holders The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to lamp holders, especially but not exclusively lamp holders for use in gaming machines.

Gaming machines employ a considerable number of lamps which are illuminated during operation of the machine. The lamps are normally held in individual lamp holders which, in turin, are mounted on a backing board.

In view of the large number of lamps employed it is important that the lamp holders can be quickly and easily fitted to the backing board without sacrificing the rigidity of the connection to the board. It is important also that the lamp holder occupies the minimal possible space to enable lamps to be mounted close together if desired.

In the past lamp holders have been moulded from plastics material having at one end thereof means for accommodating a lamp and at the other end electrical connection means. Such lamp holders have been provided with two diametrically opposed resilient limbs, spaced from and running alongside -the lamp accommodating portion of the lamp holder, each limb extending from a transverse projection from the base of said portion.The free ends of each limb carries a projection inclined rearwardly in the direction of fitment of the lamp holder so that to fit a lamp holder in a circular hole in the mounting board the holder is pushed into the hole with the free ends of the limbs leading, the resilience of the limbs allowing the inclined surfaces to ride over the circumference of the hole and, when the lamp holder has penetrated a sufficient distance into the hole, the limbs snap back to their original position with the undercut rear face of the inclined portion overlying the circumference of the hole to locate the lamp holder in the hole by virtue of the resilience of the legs.

Such lugs have been disadvantageous in that the insertion operation is not particularly simple and often calls for the person inserting a lamp holder to press the lugs together. This is difficult and tiring, especially in cramped condition. In addition the fact that the limbs are carried by outward projections from the lamp holder adds to the overall width of the lamp holder and reduces the possibility of lamp holders being mounted in close proximity. Prior lamp holders have been relatively difficult to manufacture by injection moulding.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these.disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a lamp holder adapted at its front to accommodate a lamp and at its rear being provided with electrical connections associated with the lamp, a surface directed towards its front and adapted to abut the rear of a passage through a lamp holder mounting board in which passage the lamp holder is adapted for mounting, at least one resilient or resiliently mounted catch located between the front of the holder and said surface and being capable of deformation on movement of the holder through said passage and return to its original condition after further movement through the passage to overlie the mounting board when the surface abuts the rear of the board, said catch extending from the portion of the lamp holder adapted to accommodate the lamp.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a lamp hoider, Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a modified lamp holder, Fig 3 shows an end view of the lamp holder of Fig. 2 Fig. 4 & 5 show respectively, a perspective and an end views of a further modified lamp holder.

A lamp holder intended principally for use in a gaming machine, comprises a plastics body manufactured by injection moulding, the body having a front lamp holder portion 10 and a rear electrical connection portion 12.

The lamp holder is intended for mounting in a board (not shown) and for this purpose the board has a circular passage formed therethrough. The lamp holder is inserted into the board by pushing it through the passage until a transverse surface or step 14 which, in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 is positioned between the front and rear portions 10, 12, abuts the rear face of the board.

The lamp holder is held in position in the board by a pair of diametrically opposed resilient catches or detents 16 moulded intergrally with the member, the outermost region 18 of the outer surface of the member in its undeformed condition being spaced from the central axis of the lamp holder by a distance greater than the radius of the passage in the board in which the lamp holder is intended to be mounted.

Each catch 16 is moulded integrally with the lamp holder and, more particularly, with the front portion 10 of the lamp holder and comprises a strip of material of substantially C cross-section fixed at its end to the front portion. The catch comprises three main portions, an upper portion 20 which projects substantially radially of the lamp holder for a short distance and certainly for a distance less than the radius of the passage in the board, outwardly inclined intermediate portion 22 leading from said portion 20 and terminating at said outer region 18, the portion 22 being substantially flat, and a final portion 24 leading from said intermediate portion 22 back to the lamp holder and being inwardly inclined at a relatively sharp angle.

The front portion 10 of the lamp holder, adapted to mount the lamp is substantially cylindrical, having two diametrically opposed flats 26, from which the catches 16 project. Within the passage 28 of the front portion there are provided phosphor bronze resilient contacts 30 which make electrical contact with associated contacts on a lamp 32 (shown in dotted lines on the drawing) which is pushfitted into the passage 28. To assist in the insertion of a lamp into the lamp holder lead-in projections 32 are integrally moulded into the front portion and positioned above the leading ends of the phosphor bronze contact members 30.

The lamp holder of Fig. 1 has a rear portion 12 which incorporates two I.D.C. connectors 34. These connectors do not form part of the present invention and will not be described in any great detail but they each enable an insulated conductor to be brought into electrical contact with the phosphor bronze contacts 30, simply by pushing the conductors through the slots 36 of the I.D.C. connector, the electrical connection being made without the need to remove the insulated covering from the conductor.

In operation, to insert a lamp holder onto a mounting board it is simply necessary to push the lamp holder, (with or without its lamp), through the circular passage in the board with the front portion 10 of the lamp holder leading. The cylindrical configuration of the front portion forms d sliding fit with the passage and as the lamp holder is pushed through the passage the outer surface of the intermediate section 22 of each catch 16 abuts the circumference of the hole and, owing to its increasing "thickness" is progressively inwardly deformed until the outer region 18 of maximimum "thickness" passes through the passage. The deformation is allowed by the resilient nature of the material of the catch 16 and by the void between the inner surface of the catch and the flat 26.

When the outer region 18 has passed completely through the passage the catch begins to deform outwardly to its original position so that at least part of the inwardly sloping section 24 of the catch overlies the board and holds the member in the board with the forwardly directed surface 14 abutting the rear face of the board around the passage.

The lamp holder incorporates a diode (not shown) mounted in its rear portion 12, the diode being connected between one of the lamp contacts 30 and one of the I.D.C.

connectors 34.

Figures 2 and 3 show a first modification of the lamp holder. In this modification components similar to those described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 will be given similar reference numerals and will only be described when they differ from the equivalent components shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In this modification the rear portion 12 carries two I.D.C. connectors 34 as before but has a rectangular cross-section, the narrower transverse dimension of which is less than the outside diameter of the front circular lamp holding portion 10. The rear portion 12 carries a diode holder 40 provided with I.D.C. connectors 42 at its ends, holding a diode 44 in place, the diode being connected in series between one of the lamp contacts 30 and an I.D.C. connector 34.

The detents or catches 16 have an outer profile which is similar to the outer profile of the corresponding detents shown in Figs. 1 and 2 but they are solid and mounted by one end only to the upper rim of the lamp holder portion 10, the remainder of the catch being moveable in a slot 46 formed in the lamp holder portion 10 and a collar 48 defining the transverse surface 14. It will be realised therefore that the free end of the catch can move into or out of the slot in response to transversly applied deforming forces.

In this modification, on fitment of the lamp holder through a passage in the mounting board, the catches 16 deform inwardly due to the resilience of the upper rim of the lamp holder portion 10 until the region of greatest thickness passes through the passage. At this stage the resilience of the lamp holder causes them to tend to return to their original condition and wedge the lamp holder firmly against the mounting board with the transverse surface 14 abutting the rear face of the board.

Lamp holders of this nature are readily inserted into the board without any great manual skill a n d, in view of their relative narrowness, can be mounted in close proximity with their neighbours. Additionally they give a positive "plug in" type engagement in the mounting board.

Figs. 4 and 5.show a further modified lamp holder which is similar in 11 respects to the lamp holder shown in Figs. 2 and 3 with the exception of the outer profile of its catches 16. In the modification the first outwardly inclined surface of 22 of the catch remains unaltered, but the inwardly inclined surface 24 has a notch 50 formed therein, the notch defining a rearwardly facing transverse surface 52 and a forwardly facing transverse surface 54 formed on a finger tab 56 extending transversly from the free end of the catch 16.

It will be realised that in this modification when the lamp holder is being inserted through the passage, after the junction. between the surfaces 22 and 24 has passed through the passage the catch will spring outwardly from its inwardly deformed condition to accommodate the mounting board in the notch 50 with the facing transverse surfaces 52 and 54 of the notch on the front and rear surfaces of the board respectively. This arrangement of catch gives positive location of the lamp holder within the passage and also permits easier removal of the lamp holder from the board; removal from the board is achieved by pressing together the finger tabs 56 to disengage the catch from the circumference of the passage.

Various otherodifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example in a further modification only one catch6 need be employed with each of the embodiments shown in the drawings.

Alternatively a lamp holder can have one of its catches manufactured in accordance with the catch shown in Fig.2 and the other in accordance with the catch shown in Fig.4.

In other instances more than two catches of any design can be employed. Clearly the configuration of the front portion of the lamp holder can vary in accordance with the type of lamp used and the rear portion of the lamp holder can vary in accordance with the electrical connections it incorporates and the type of electrical components it may include. For example, as shown in Fig.1 only the base of the lamp incorporating the electrical contacts is accommodated in the front lamp holder portion 10. In the modifications shown in Figs.2 to 5 a greater portion of the lamp can be accommodated in the front portion 10. In fact, in this embodiment the contacts 30 terminate at about the level of the top of the rear portion 12. The diode holder may be arranged vertically rather than horizontally as shown in Figs.2 and 4.

In a further modification, particularly pertaining to the Fig.1 embodiment, the lamp holder can be manufactured from a rigid plastics material and have catch members of a resilient plastic or metal material subsequently fitted thereto. Clearly this would be neither practical nor desirable with the embodiments shown in Figs.2 to 5.

Claims (10)

Claims

1. A lamp holder adapted at its front to accommodate a lamp and at its rear being provided with electrical connections associated with the lamp including a surface directed towards its front and adapted to abut the rear of a passage through a lamp holder mounting board in which passage the lamp holder is adapted for mounting, at least one resilient or resiliently mounted catch located between the front of the holder and said surface and being capable of deformation on movenient of the holder through said passage and return to its original condition after further movement through the passage to overlie the mounting board when the surface abuts the rear of the board, said catch extending from the portion of the lamp holder adapted to accommodate the lamp.

2. A lamp holder as claimed in Claim 1, which two similar catches are provided in diametrically opposed relationship.

3. A lamp holder as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the catches are formed from plastics material integrally with the lamp holder having an arcuate configuration and each being attached to the lamp holder only at their ends.

4. A lamp holder as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which a front portion of the lamp holder is cylindrical, having two diametrically opposed flats formed thereon, said catches being positioned on the flats.

5. A lamp holder as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the catches are formed from plastics material integrally with the lamp holder, being attached to the lamp holder only at, the leading end in the direction of fitment of the lamp holder to the mounting board, the unattached portions of the catch being arranged alongside a passage or recess in the lamp holder which is adapted to accommodate the catch when it is moved radially inwardly.

6. A lamp holder as claimed in Claim 5, in which one or more catch has a parallel sided notch cut in its outwardly facing face to accommodate said mounting board.

7. A lamp holder as claimed in Claim 6, in which the free end of the or each catch has a finger tab extending radially from its free end, the face of each tabs adjacent the lamp defining the face of said notch adapted to face the rear surface of the mounting board.

8. A lamp holder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the rear portion is of rectangular cross-section.

9. A lamp holder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig 1 or Figs. 2 and 3 or Figs. 4 and 5 of the accom panying drawings.

10. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed in the foregoing specification or claims and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.