US1567365A - Lamp construction - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 29 1925.

i C.. E. GODLEY LAMP coNsTRucTIoN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 b I 4 M w/l/ IIIII/ Filed March 25 Dec. 29, Y192. 1,567,365

c. E. GODLEY LAMP CONSTRUCTION Filed March 25 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. Z9, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. GOIDLEY, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN. ASSIGNOR TO EDMUNDS & JONES COR- PORATON, Ol DETQIT? MIGHIGI A GORFORVATION OF NEW YORK.

LAMP CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed March 25, 1925.

To aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. Gonnnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dertoit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Lamp Construction; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to lamps of the general class in which the body of the lamp casing has a lens-carrying front or cover` detachably mounted on it. Generally speaking, my invention aims to provide combined means for latching the lens-carrying front to the casing of such al lamp in a manner affording a yielding and self-adjusting connect-ion between the body of the casing and the said front, for also holding the reflector of the lamp firmly in position when this cover or lamp front is detached, and for permitting a removal of the reflector without detaching any of the latching parts.

In my copending application No. 691,978, filed Feb. 11, 1924, I have shown a construction for this purpose in which the means for effecting the latching and for holding the reflector in its normal position when the cover or lens front is det-ached include a spring formed of flat material, which spring must be detached from a hookshaped member to permit the attaching and detaching of the reflector. Since the arrangement there disclosed requires a spring of a Width considerably exceeding that of the hook to which it is attached, it also requires a corresponding Widening of the lamp body beyond that demanded by the diameter of the reflector. Furthermore, the construction there disclosed requires a partial rotating of the reflector before the latter can be detached. Since this involves an added manipulation to which inexperienced buyers of such lamps are not accustomed, various parts of these lamps (and particularly the reflectors) have sometimes been damaged by the attempts of uniformed users to detach the reflector without giving it the needed preliminary partial rotation. Furthermore, I have found in difficult in practice to secure a uniformity in I.lie bending of the ysprings required in my Serial ITo. 18,107.

said previous construction, thereby increasing the manufacturing costs.

My present invention aims to overcome all of the above mentioned objections. For this purpose, I provide a construction employing a spring formed of a wire and hence reduc ing both the cost, the difficulty in securing uniformity of the bending and the needed width of the lamp body, as also reducing the outside diameter of the lens ring correspondingly. I also provide interlocking formations on the reflector and the lamp body which will not require any rotational movement of the reflector either in the detaching of the same from the casing or in attaching the same to the casing, thereby avoiding the difficulties heretofore encountered by inexperienced users and also avoiding such improper manipulations by users as might easily damage the relatively thin reflectors. I also arrange the latehing springs so that they may be sprung clear of the reflector, thereby permitting the reflector to be detached or replaced without detaching the springs.

Furthermore, I provide a construction in which both the latching formations on the lens ring and the lens-holding formations are formed on the same integral part of the lens ring, thereby simplifying and cheapcning the construction and also avoiding a pos sible loosening of separately attached latching members in case the manufacture is not carefully watched. Still further and also more detailed objects of my invention will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a central, longitudinal and vertical section through an automobile headlight embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same, with the cover or front member detached.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged and fragmentary section taken along the radial line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4f is a correspondingly enlarged vertical section taken along the line t-l of Fig. 2, with the nearer side Wall of the lamp body or casing cut away.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the reflector showing a tongue which .engages erresponding recess tha flange on the lamp body to prevent rotation of the reflector.

Fig. 6 is afperspectiye View of one of the springs as it appears when detached.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged front view of a radial outer portion of the lamp body, sho-Wing one of the latch-ing springs and the spring support carrying the san'ie, with dotted lines showing hoW this spring may be sprung fout beyond the outer edge of the lamp body to permit the reflector to be attached or detached Without bodily removing the spring.

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the cover member which comprises the lens ring and the lens carried by ythe latter. y

Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fig. 4 but with the cover or lens-front of the lamp removed from the casing, showing lio-W ythe latching spring then directly engages the flange of the reflector.

'lnthe embodiment of the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a 'section through an automobile lamp in which the Abody of the casing has a side Wall l `provided at its rivard or month end with anannular flange 2 against which the outwardly directed flange 3 at the month endoffthe-reector l nornnrlly bears. The portion of the reflector between this flange Sand the reflector portion projects yforwardly and is -provided with a forwardly open trrlhe lamp' body also .has secured `Ato it anuniber fof springelatclfisupports, which are here shown as three in lnumber vand as each co-mpriising a baise portien '7 seenredflativise 'to the inner faee of the side Wall'rl ofthe lamp body, a stem 8 extending forwardly through a correspondingly formed Ynot inner ledigeofthe flange 2,' a g l disposed in front of the 'fiange2, and -a hook l0 bent from the ffoii rrded-fge of the tongue 9 curyed rearwardly so as to afford a rearwardly `directed opening. The tongue 9 also "has a perforat n l1 for receiving fthe t'ail end l2 of a sprig l which is desir ably formed of a resilient wire and Vwhich has ad'jaeci'it to its other -end a vbi-ght lfl convened towards l:the rear of the lamp or towards the flange 2. T-lii-is sprirlrg has anintermediate portion extending into the said' hookV formation, and this 'lioo'li' formation is so disposed-as to cooperatewith thesoeketing of the tail 12 ofthe'spring in* perforation l1 'for '-hdlding the spring in a position in which -its' Iresiliency @constantly `urges the 'bight lll 1rerrwardl'yv or toward. the flange 2 ofthe lampbotly.

This body flange 2 is provided at its-inner vedge Vwith a number ofrecesses 15 which are here shown. fas 'having the aforesaid notches 29 forming' :ra-di" y outward continuations of them. Each ofthe recesses l5 corresponds substantially in Width to a reaiavairdly directed tonguev 16 on the reector, the .longues 1G bei-ng (lesiva-bly Groove 5 -in whicha paci-ting rin-go i." seat-ed.V

formed from intial portions of the flange 3 as shown in Fig. 5, so that each tongue 1G normally projects rearwardly beyond the body flange 2 after the manner shown in Fig. 3 and has its ends adapted to engage the ends of the correspond-ing lrecess-Minto prevent the reflector from rota-ting with respect to the lamp body. Vith the parts thus arranged, the reflector can be inserted or removed freely when the sorings l5 are detached, and the `subsequent attacl'iingl of the springs will canse their bights 14 to engage the forward face of the flange 3 of the 'reflector to hold the latter in its normal position even before the lens-front or cover of the lamp is att-ached.

rfihe lensring or lensearrying part of the lensfront is here shown as composed of two substantie.llyv annular members both formed of sheet metal. The outer of these has a side Wall 17 which is recnrved at its rear end to afford a short forwardly directed annular hook formation 18honsi-ng the rear end of a. cylindrical flange 19 `on the second or inner member of v.the lens-front. The outer or first named annular member also has an annular front portion 2O carrying van .inner and rearwardly directed flange. 2l Which engages the frontof the pane or lens The inner men'iber khas an lannular flange or shelf portion 23extending radially inward from its said cylindrical rear portion l) and connecting the latter to a for` nf'ardly directed portion '2d which ei'igages the said frontal portion 20 of the lens ring. Thus arranged, thev hooi;v formation 'lf2 at tl'ie rear end of 'the 'lens ring receives any thrust tending to `more the v inner part of the latter rearwardly.

rlhe `esi-millar shelf of the lens ring is provided with apertures eorresponding in number to the springs and their si'ipports. Each aperture is Asomewhat longer than the distance from the free end of a sprii'ig to the opposite end of lthe `tongue of the corresponding spring support, ther y per mitting the lens-ring lo be attached to the lamp body when the perforation-s 25 are in apprrniima'teV alinenflent with the said tongues and springs. The yshelf 28 is provided-adjacent totlreend of each-of its perforationg 25 With forwardly dir'eted Ahump formati-ons 26- orer'wh'ioh the'bight of the correspond-ing spring is adapted to ride when 'the lens front is rotated aft-er ithas been yslipped ien-to its said alining position. In' doing this, the free end of ithespring is for-yvarclly, the thickness-of the packifng -6 being snclrthat the latter through its engagement `with the Llensof the lamp and through the engagementofthe latterwith therigid inner flange 2l of the lens ring ywill hold `the lens ring so far forward as to pro` pressed latchingarrangement holds the lens front yieldingly and floatingly attached as shown in Fig. t, allowing the parts to adjust themselres to the thickness and coinpressibility of the packing ring 6 and enabling this packing to afford a tightly sealing closure for the reflector regardless of variations in the thickness of the lens.

IVhen the lens-ring or lamp front is in its normal closure position of F ig. 3, the latching springs cooperate with the annular shelf ..3 on the lens-ring to urge the latter rearwardlv, thereby causing the rear "ard thrust onthe lens as transmitted to the packing ring to press the flange 3 of the reflector firmly against the flange 2 on the lamp body. Likewise, when the lens-front is detached, the same springs 13 engage the reflector' directly, as shown in Fig. 9, so as to hold its flange 3 similarly pressed tightly agains? the flange 2 of the lamp body. Consequently, the reflector is always held in exactly the same position with respect to the lamp bulb 29 regardless of whether or not the lens front is attached to the lamp body, so that the focusing' adjustment can readily ne made before the lens-front is attached withoi'f having the adiustment disturbed by the sub sequent attaching of the lens-front.

To gain access to the interior of the lamp, the user merely needs to rotate the lens rings sufficient-ly toward the tail ends of the springs, or towards the left in Fig. 4, to have the free ends of the springs clear the adjacent ends of the perforations 25, after which the lens front can readily be slid ott the lamp body.

If the reflector' is to be detached, each spring can be pried out of engagement with the corresponding hook 10 on its support by inserting a screw driver between the rear end of this hook formation and the spring, so as to snap the spring out of this hook. Or, each spring may be simply sprung radially outward of the lamp body after the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, so ass-to clear the'outer edge of the reflector` without requiring a detaching of the springs. In practice, I have found that a relatively light gage of wire sufiices for such springs, thereby making it easy for both the lamp assembler and. the users to distort the springs out of their operative positions in this manner, and also permitting the total width of the springs and spring supports radially of the lamp to be so small as to reduce the diameter of the lens-ring over that required with older types of lamps of the same general class.

However', while I have illustrated and described the lamp construction of my invention in an embodiment including desirable shapes, constructions and arrangements of various parts, I do not wish to be limited as ,to these. Obvons1y,many changes might be made as to such features without departingeither from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a lamp, a reflector having a laterally directed flange at its mouth, a :forwardly open body housing and supporting the reflector, a spring support secured to the body and having a portion thereof disposed forwardly of the said flange; a wire spring detachably carried by the said portion of the spring support and having a part adapted to engage the flange of the reflector, the spring being' also adapted to have its flangeengaging parts swung radially outward of the reflector by a corresponding flexing of the spring, so as to clear the flange and permit the removal of the reflector; the spring support and the spring having interengaging portions preventing a bodily movement of the spring radially outward of the lamp; and a lens-carrying ring having a portion adapted to be slid between the reflector flange and the said engaging portion of the spring upon rotation of the lens-carrying ring with respect to the body, so as to cause the spring to lock the ring to the body.

A lamp construction as per claim l, in which the spring has an end portion extending through the spring support and in which the support has a part engaging another portion of the spring to prevent the withdrawal of the said end portion from the support.

S. A. lamp construction as per claim l, in which the spring support has a perforation therein and a hook formed thereon and spaced from the perforation and open towards the reflector' flange; and in which the spring has a portion extending through the said perforation and another portion extending through the hook, whereby the said perforation and hoolr cooperate in retaining the spring in operative position.

el. A lamp construction as per claim 1, in which the spring support has a perforation therein and a hook formed thereon and spaced from the perforation and open towards the reflector flange; and in which the spring has a portion extending through the said perforation and another portion extending through the hook, whereby the said perforation and hook cooperate in retaining the spring in operative position; the portion of the spring between the hook and the part of the spring which engages the reflector flange being of such a length as to permit this portion to be flexed radially outward of the reflector to dispose the flange-engaging part of the spring beyond the outer edge of the reflector.

5. A lamp construction as per claim l, in which the reflector and the body having interengaging portions preventing relative rotation thereof and arranged to permit the attaching and detaching .of tho reflector by lill) which the reflector flange has a recessy therein opposite 'the spring support to permit the reflector to be attached or detached by movelment longitudinally of the body when the spring'is out of its said fiange-engaging disposition.

6. In a lamp, a forwardly open body provided near its mouth with a forwardly facing shoulder, a reflector having at its mouth a flange engaging the forward face of the'sai'd shoulder, a rigid spring support secured to the casing behind the said shoulder and extending through the shoulder and having a portion disposed forwardly of the reflector flange and extending clroumferentially of that flange, the said portion having a pair of spr1ng-engageable formations spaced circumferentially of the said ange, and a spring having two spaced parts respectively engaged by the said formations and having another part engaging a part of the reector flange at a distance from the said portion of the spring support.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan, March 20th,`

1925. c y c CHARLES E. GODLEY.

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