US1209526A - Current connection for electric lamps. - Google Patents

Description

F. H. WESTON. CURRENT CONNECTION FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26. 1914.

1,209,526. I I Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET I,

Inventor: Frederick H Weston,

F. H. WESTON. CURRENT CONNECTION F08 ELECTRIC .IAMPS. APPLICATION FILED DEC.26. 1914.

1,209,526. 1 Patented Dec. 19,1916

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Witnesses Inventor Frederick H.Weston, A. a? N N Q 2A4) His Nttorne g.

F. H. WESTON.

CURRENT CONNECTION FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS. APPLICATION FILED 050.25.1914.

1,209,526. Patented Dec. 19,1916.

Fig. 9

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Inventor: Frederick H.We ston-,

Hi fitto neg.

jhhllllBDXSRlECK H. WESCEGN, 01* SCHENECTADY, 1i! EW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL I ELECTRIC QQMPANY, all CORPORATIUN OF NEW! YORK CURRENT CONNECTION Ffiltt ELECTRIC LAMPS.

ace aces.

Specification of letters Patent.

commodities. as, rare.

Application filed December 26, 1914.. Serial No. S?9,U5l.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that l, Fnnnniuon ll-l. Wes TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State oi New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Current Connections for Electric Lamps, of which the followingeis a specification.

My invention relates t0 current connec tions such as are used for electric lamps and the like, and it includes both bases or plugs and corresponding sockets or receptacles that are especially suitable for the mounting and electrical connection of such lamps, though also applicable and adaptable to other uses.

The invention is more particularly concerned with the transmission of such relatively heavy currents as are required by high candle power tungsten filament incandescent lamps containing nitrogen or other or vapor and operating at very high elliciency. It is important that when sucha lamp is inserted in a socket or receptacle each of the connections necessary to cornpl'ete its circuit should-be made ,withgcod contact over ample area, in;order that the parts shall not he.liabletoinjurions or dangel-oils overheating, and also for other reasons. .How this and other requirements can be inc-t and various advantages obtained throngll my invention will appear from the following discussion and from the detailed description of particular embodiments hereinafter, while its scope will be indicated in my claims.

in accordance with my invention, l-secure good contact and current carrying capacity by providing the base or plug device with terminals having coasting screw threaded contact surfaces and providing the socket or receptacle device with terminals having corresponding screw. threaded contact sun faces, so that each of the connections necessary to complete the circuit is a screw thread connection. Meshing and engage nent of the screw threads of both the base terminals with those oi the socket or receptacle terminals when the lamp screwed into the soclret Iean be insured by melting terminals of one oil these connection relatively to one and.

ree,

vices movable (in some do le st} those of the corrections receptacle shown. in Fig. 5.

sn't diameters or arranged The utility of the relatively movable torminal. arrangement is not confined to a connection device all of whose coacting contact suri'aces are screw threaded, but extends, also, to a connection device having screw threaded terminals and plain terminal means all coasting with one another.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a mid-sectional view illustrating a very simple lamp base and socket construction embodying, my invention. Fig. 2 is a simi a r view illustrating a difl'erent construction. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view of a part of the structure shown in Fig. 2. l is fragmentary view, partly in section, showing a lamp with a type of base different from that shown in Fig". 1. Fig. 5 is a mid sectional view of a. socket or receptacle adapted to take the base shown in Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a part of the Fig. 7 is a perspective exterior View of the receptacle shown in Fig. the receptacle shown in F 5 and l, and substantially represents the bottom of that shown in Fig. 1 also. Fig. 9 is a mid-sectional View illustrating aconstruction similar to that of 5, 7 and 8, but more especially adapted for use in exposed situations out of doors. Fig. 10is a plan view of the lower part of the socket shown in Fig. 9. his; 11 is a view of the upper part of the socket shown in Fig. 9 as seen from beneath.

its shown in Fig. 1, the terminals of the lamp base 1 consist of two electrically separate screw threaded shells 2 and o7 dillercoaxially one within the oth and meclian ically united hody of insrsting material 4.. For the a large cavity for the end of a high e hose 1 is provided with an ed and insulated shirt 5. is and i of the lamp are Fig. 8 a bottom view of soldered tothe terminals 2 and 3 invery much the usual way. 5

The socket or receptacle 11 which receives the base 1 comprises electrically separate screw shell terminals 12 and 13 also arranged coaxially one. within the other, theformer being of such diameter that the large base terminal 2 will screw into it easily butsnugly. and the latter being similarly adapted to screw into the small base terminal 3. The terminals 12 and 13 are mounted on an insulating body structi'lre 14 which forms a casing about them, the large terminal 12 bethe form of a cup or cap-like screw shell,

and as shown it has an angular shank or stud 17 extendingdownward from ltsbottom through an angular hole 1n the base portion of the body structure 14 and into a" circular recess atthe lower side of said portion. A helical compression spring 19 around the shank 17 a disk-like head 20 secured. thereto by a screw and the bottom of the aforesaidrecess urges the terminal 13 inward away" from the mouth of the terminal The inward movement of the terminal 13 isllnnited by an msulating washer 1n the bottom of the large terminal-12 (or, in its absence, by the body structure 1% itself);

while outward movement of said terminal is limited by abutment. of the head 20 around the recess. containing the spring 19. The

rmrrerit connection to the terminal 12 is through two of the screws 15, while that to the terminal 1.3 is through the shank 17 and a flexible laminated. lead clamped to it by the disk or washer 20. As these connections are similar to those shown in Figs. 5 and 8 and hereinafter described in detaihno further dc scription of them is necessary.

It will be seen that the movable or floating terminal 13 with its associated parts is restrained or prevented from turning; relaterminal 13 from the position shown (which tively to the terminal 12 and its associated body structure 14- bythe engagement of the shank 1'? with the said body structure, and that axial movement or displacement of said is itsinormal one) is yieldingly resisted by the spring means 19. When the base 1 1s turned clockwise to ,screw it into the socket 11, it comes into concurrent threaded engagement with .both of the socket- terminals 12 and 13; but, as shown, the threads of the base terminal 3 will mesh and engage with those of the loose or floating socket terminal 13 before the base terminal 2' encounters the socket terminal. 12. VVhensuch encounter does take place,which is the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1,the threads of the base terminal 2 will immediately mesh and engage with those of'the fixed socket terminal 33. Theerminal 32 may terminal 12 if the angular arrangement of thci'arious terminals permits; otherwise the movable socket terminal 13 will be drawn upward further turning of the base 1 until such meshing and engagement can take 7Q, place; Thisaction will obviate any diilicultly that might otherwise arise from bad work manship or careless assembling; and if the socket terminals 12 and 13 are so arranged that the latter will necessarily be displaced against a fairly stiff, strong spring 19 of suitable scale, it will also insure goodcontact and pressure on all contact surfaces.

If the screw threads of all the terminals are of the same pitch, the screwing of the base 1 into the socket 11' will present no peculiarity after both the base'terminals have come into mesh with thesocket termithe screw. threaded nals as above described, while if the threads 5 of the terminals 3 and 13 are of greater pitch than those of the terminals 2 and 12, the further screwing in of the base 1,.will re-v sult in further upward movement" of the floating terminals 13 against the spring 19.

Such difi'ercntialthreading of the terminals 1, but it differs from the, socket -11 of Fig. 1

in that the spring mo'unted looseor floating terminal is movable angularly instead of axially. Accordingly, the shank 27 and its hole in the bottom portion of the body structurc 21 are made cylindrical so asto permit the terminal 23 to turn, and the turning is yieldingly resisted or restrained by a springy --wi're 29"bent to an appropriate form and serving as a flexible current connection for the terminal 23. The turning of the termi- .11 al 23 may beliinited to any desired-angle by one or more projections 30- from the shank 27 (sec Figs. 2 and 3) which lie in one or more recesses 30 m the base portion of the. body structure 24. This arrange- .ment gives an action similar to that of Fig.

'1, and offers similar possibilities as regardsdcfccts and errors in "the factory,-contac t pressure, differential threading, and dispensing with the spring 29. Referring, now to Fig. 4:, it will at once be seen that the base 31 here shown differs from base. 1 of Fig. 1 in that its electrically' separate co Xial screw shell terminals 32 and are ari iinged endwise and that the screw-threaded contact surfaces of both are external. Preferably the pitch of the screw threads ofthe large terminal 32.is greater than that of the threads of the small be of the same size as the screw shell of the The head of this bya screw to the-'shanli l8 and till 42 and 43 base terminals 32 "I I {R ferring to Figs.

and the insulating material 34 may unite them mechanically to one another and to the enlarged skirt 35 in the manner illustrated in U. S. Patent N 0,775,689 to Swan, granted November 22, 1904. As shown the terminal shell 33 is not made as a closed cap like the terminal 3 of Fig; 1, but with an open lower end from which the insulation 34 projects enough to insure'against the production of a short circuit if an ignorantperson should fscrewthe lamp into an ordinary medium screwsocket.

Referring to Fig; 5 it will be seen that the :socket or receptacle device 41 forthe base or plug device 31 has screw shell terminals the other with their'coaetiing internal differentially screw threaded contact surfaces coaxial and are movable relativclytoone another when engaging the corresponding and 33. The terminals d2 and 43 are mounted on a bodystructure d4 of porcelain, bisque, or other insulating material which forms a casing about them, the large terminal 42 being fixedly secured by screws 45, while. the small terminal 4-3 is spring mounted so as to beresiliently yield ing in an axial direction. As shown, the terminal shell 43 is in the form of soup with an angular hole in its bottom, and it is externally insulated by an infclosing cup or caplihe shell 46 of fiber, porcelain, bisque, or other insulating material. For mount ing the movable or floating? terminal 43 with its insulating covering 46 is employeda stud 47 (see Fig.6) formed of sheet metal suitably punched, bent, and riveted, etc. stud -l7 lies at the bottom of the terminal d3 and may besoldered or otherwise fastened thereto, and its angular yol e-like shank-48 extends through angular holes in the fiarts 43 and 46 and through a similar hole at the bottom of a circular rccess in the base portion of the body structure 44, and thus the terminal 43 withvits associated parts is restrained or prevented from turning. A heavyhelical compres sion spring 49 in this recess around the shank 48 urges the terminal 43 with its as? sociated parts outward toward the mouth of the terminal 4-2, and yieldingly resists axial movement or displacement of said terminal 43' from the positlon shown, which is its hermal one.

The outward movement oi the terminal 43 is limited bv a piece 50 secured projecting the body shank ex beyond: the edges of the hole in structure 44' through which said tends, while itsinwerd m'ovement is limited by the body structure 44 itself;

seen that the insulating ibody structure 44 through two penstrips soldered to which are arranged one within cur between the come in contact (owing to forced inward harness is provided with a pair of lugs or feet bl pierced to receive screws for securing the socket in position, and also with lugs 52 that carry binding posts 53, 5& for the connection of the current supply wires. From the binding post 53-electrical connection to the terminal 42 is through two screws 55, a metal piece 56 in a recess at the bottom of the body structure it, and two of the screws45; from the bindingpost 5% it is screws 52', a metal piece 58 with which they engage, and a flexible laminated lead 59 composed of a number of these cop,-

said piece 58 and clamped to the shank 48 by the piece '50.

When the base 31 is inserted in the socket 41 and turned the socket terminals 42 and 43. Preferably thesocket parts are so proportioned and arranged that meshing and engagement oc terminals 32 and 42 before the terminal 33 encounters the terminal l3;

for with thisaction any failure of the terwhen they first minals 33 and 43 to mesh detective work manship or rror in assembling the parts) will not cause jamming, but merely result in the loose or floating terminal 43 being rather rapidly by further turning ofthe base 1 until the terminal 33 does mesh and engage with it properly, Once the terminals are in threeded engagement, further turning of the base 31. will force the loose or floating terminal 43 tlowly: inward at a rate depending on how much less. its pitch is than that of theterminol 42, and the result ing progressive compression of the spring 4:9 will cause Fa progressively increasing binding effect 11 pen the engaging screw threaded terminals. The final or limiting condition- .will preferably be at the inner limit'of movement of the terminal 43.

It will be seen that whhthebase 31 is screwed into the socket 41 until the floating socket terminal 43 is firmly jammed or wedged at the inner limit of its movement,-'-the parts being, of course, so ole-- signed that such jamming will occur belore the base terminalBil bottoms in the Again, the pitches of all the terminal threads'maybe'made the. and d3 one an; other and to the base terminals that when socket terminal 43.

some and the socket-terminals d2 purposely so arranged relatively to 32and 42 and 33 and 4:3

clockwise, it comes into concurrent threaded engagement with both of w the base is s rewed into the socket the. base teruunal 33 Will not mesh and engage with the movable socket terminal 43 when .it first 'eneouuters it. but only after it has forced it inward a certain distance against the resistance ola fairly stilt; strong spring -19. Referring. now. to the socket (51 shown in Figs. 1. and ll. itwill beseen that I the body structuria ('iland the electrical a gasket Tl being interposed to make the porting collar 72 is secured by screws T3.--

joint watertiglit.while .at the lower side of said cap metal ternnnal and securing pieces 75 are secured by means of screws 7G.' The innerends oi" the pieces 75 are in a recess in the lower side of thecap 71 and are provided with binding screws 77 for the -2'1ttachment of current leads, while their outer ends extend beyond the periphery of the body 64 and are provided with clamp ing' screws 78. A terminal and securing piece SO with notches S1 is secured in a depression. in the upper end of the bodytl by two of the screws 65 that hold the large socket terminal 62' in place. and a. similar piece 82 is secured diametrically opposite by nuts- 83 on studs or bolts insulativcly secured in said body (34-. y 'It' will be seen that bv putting the body 6-1 in place in the cap 71 (or vice versa). turning the body (or the cap) alittle in a clockwise direction, and tightening, up the screws 78 the cap and body will be securely fastened together and the current leads will be'electrieally connected to the socket termlnals. .It will-be understood, of course,

that the large socket terminal 2 is electri cally connected to the picce 80 throughthescrews 65, and that the movable socket t erminal (ii-leis connected to the other piece 82 by a T-sh-aped laminatedfiexible conductor 69 one 'of whose ends is clamped to the shank of the movable terminal by the part .nd'whose other ends are clamped benca h the nuts 83. It will be seen that the onto r edge of the cap 71 extends down' a f 'und the upper end of the body 64in a sd't of hood with an annular ventilating lated and cooled by means of two passages 84, 84, that extend up around its terminal 62 as grooves in the inner surface of the hollow portion of the body structure (it and are prolonged into the. space beneath the hood as ho1es'85,yS5 -through the base portion v of sa id body structure.

While Ihave, in accordanceavith the requirements of the patent statutes, shown" faces of dili'erent diameters and the difie'mj ential threading of terminals, ,the'samebeing respectively the inventions of Howard 1%. Sargent and John A.'Orange. I What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, 3

is: i

l. A connection,comprising a socket or reeeptacle device havn g terminals with 00- acting screwthreaded contact surfaces and abase or plug device for said socket having terminals with corresponding screw threaded contact sm faces, the terminals of one of said devices being'movable relatively to one another. I

2.-A connection device comprising terminals with coacting scre'w threaded contact surfaces, said terminals being movable relatively to one another when coming .into on gagementwith those of a corresponding" connection device. y 3. A connection device comprising terminals with coa'c'ting coaxial-screw threaded contact surfaces, one of said terminals being axially movable by a tion device. j,

4. A socket-or receptacle comprising-terminals with coacting coaxial screw threaded contact surfaces of different diameters, said. terminals being axially movable relatively to one another when comingintocngagement with those of a corresponding base.

' 5. A socket or receptaclecomprisingter minals with coat-ting screw threaded contact surfaces, said terminals; being; resiliently yielding relatively to, one another, when coming into engagement with those of' a correspondlng base. I I

6. A socket or receptacle comprising te'rminals with coacti-ng coaxial screw threaded contact surfaces; one of said terminals being fixed and the other spring mounted so that it may yield axially. f

7. A socket or receptacle comprising-- a fixed large terminal; part having internal: screw threadedcontact surfaces, :1 smaller terminal part within the large terminal part which also has-screw threaded 'contacti-surs faces and islso engaged with theslar ge terminal part as to be movable axially to a limited extent but restrained from turning relatively thereto, ands'pringlneans'ii'rging said smaller terminal part toward one,1imit ofits movement. I w. L

8. A socket or receptaclmcomprising a;

corresponding connecbody structure and a large screw shell terminal fixedly secured thereto, a smaller screw shell terminal within said larger one having a shank so engaged with said struc- 5 ture as to prevent said smaller terminal from turning whileallowing it a limited axial movement, and a helical compression spring about said shank whereby said-

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