Claims
- 1. A device for mounting a light bulb onto an elongated support member of a lamp fixture, the elongated support having an externally threaded portion at one end thereof, forming an opening to the passage, said device comprising:
- a lamp socket adapted to mount the light bulb,
- a mounting bar member secured to said socket at one end, said bar member having an opposed mounting end,
- clip means for removably securing onto the externally threaded portion of the elongated support member, said clip means removably engaging said mounting end of said bar and securing said socket to the support member, said clip means comprising a pocket portion and a base portion, said base portion including a substantially flat base wall forming a central aperture adapted to receive the threaded portion of the support member, said base portion having a pair of opposed upwardly directed, inwardly biased, flexible cantilevered clip elements freely extending from said base wall over a part of said aperture, said clip elements having opposed arcuate inner edges configured to engage the threads of the threaded portion, said arcuate inner edges of said clip elements respectively lying in opposing angularly crossing planes angled to the plane of the base of said wall, said angle being substantially the same angle as the thread angle of the threaded portion, whereby said clip means can be selectively screwed on or off the threaded portion as well as pressed over the threaded portion with said biased elements locking said clip means onto the threaded portion, said pocket portion being adapted to receive said mounting end of said bar member,
- a pair of electrical wires connected to electrical contacts in said lamp socket, said wires extending from said socket for insertion in the opening and into the elongated passage of the support member, and
- mounting tool means for detachably holding said clip means and selectively pressing, threading or unthreading said clip means onto or off of the threaded portion of the elongated support member, said mounting tool means comprising:
- a rod having a handle at one end and a mounting body at the other end, said body having an end face opposite said rod and substantially perpendicular to said rod, and two pairs of projecting elements outwardly from said face, said body including a pocket recess adapted to receive said pocket portion of said clip means in removable sliding engagement, and clip recesses adapted to receive said clip elements in removable sliding engagement, said two pairs of projecting elements having ends lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to said rod, said ends being in pressing contact with the base wall of said base portion of said clip means when said clip means is in a mounted position on said body, and serving as a stop means for the engagement between said tool means and said clip means, and wherein said clip recesses provide sufficient clearance for the flexing of the clip elements upon pressing of said clip means on to the threaded portion of the elongated support member.
- 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said mounting bar member is an elongated substantially flat rectangular prism.
- 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said pocket portion of said clip member includes a vertical wall secured to the periphery of said base portion, said vertical wall being substantially perpendicular to said base portion end located substantially midway between said opposed biased clip elements, said vertical wall having opposed vertical edge portions, and opposed C-shaped channel members forming opposed vertical slots, extending over said base portion, said mounting end of said mounting bar member being disposed in said slots.
- 4. A device according to claim 3, further including a biased element connected to the center portion of said vertical wall, said biased element having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being integral with said vertical wall and said lower portion extending inwardly from said vertical wall over said base portion said vertical wall forming an aperture coextensive with said lower portion, whereby said biased element presses against said mounting end of said mounting bar in said pocket portion of said clip means.
- 5. a device according to claim 3, further including a pair of flanges extending outwardly from said vertical wall of said pocket portion, said flanges being spaced from said clip elements and integral with said base wall, said flanges being adapted to engage each of said one pair of projecting elements when said clip means is mounted on said body, whereby said each of said one pair of projecting elements is wedged between one of said flanges and one of said clip elements to thereby hold said clip means.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 794,037, filed Nov. 1, 1985, now abandoned, which ia a continuation of application Ser. No. 732,038, filed Apr. 29, 1985, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 484,048 filed Apr. 11, 1983, now abandoned.
This application relates generally to devices for attaching a lamp socket to a support tube for the socket that has a passage for passing the electrical wires from the socket to an electrical source. In particular, the present invention relates to devices for mounting a lamp socket of a candelabrum type lamp to one of the support branches of the candelabrum.
Present lamp sockets for candelabrum type lamps are provided with a mounting bar connected to the side of the socket and that has a transverse flange having internal threads for receiving the external threads of the end of the elongated support that mounts the lamp either to a wall or the stem of the candelabrum. The elongated support member is hollow and curved in various shapes for aesthetic purposes. The paired connecting wires from the socket extend from their contacts in the socket through the member or branch nember for electrical connection to an electrical source. If both the wires and the socket are being replaced, or just the wires, the procedure is first to force the paired connecting wires through the hollow portion of the branch support and then to rotate the socket onto the threaded portion of the hollow branch support via the flange of the mounting bar. When the socket is being rotated, the paired wires are likewise being rotated. Therefore to avoid having broken insulation on the wires and a resulting short, the wires extending from the opposite end of the mounting bar must likewise be rotated in the opposite direction. This is an uncertain and burdensome procedure. Also, in the event old wires are kept in the branch and connected to a new socket which is then rotated, untwisting the wires is uncertain since the original position of the wires cannot be determined. Curved, even at times convoluted, configurations of the branches of a candelabrum make untwisting a connecting wire held in the often narrow confines of the passage of the branch holder additionally difficult.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that enables a lamp socket to be mounted to a conduit branch for a candelabrum without rotating the lamp socket and the connecting wires.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a clip device that can be removably positioned around the threaded portion of a candelabrum conduit branch that is capable of receiving a support bar connected to a lamp socket so that the lamp socket can be mounted to the threaded portion directly without the necessity of rotating the lamp socket.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a clip device that can be pressed over the threaded end portion of a candelabrum branch by means of a mounting tool, the device being able to mount a lamp socket without rotating the socket.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device that is adapted to be pressed over the threaded end portion of a candelabrum branch, or alternatively, to be screwed on the threaded end portion and in addition to be unscrewed from the threaded end portion by means of a mounting tool, the device being adapted to receive a mounting bar connected to a lamp socket thus mounting the socket to the device without having to rotate the socket and the electrical connectors.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a lamp socket having a flat mounting bar connected to a lamp socket at one end and having an opposed mounting end adapted to be slid into a pocket portion of a clip device that is clipped onto the threaded end portion of a conduit branch holder of a candelabrum.
The novel means employed to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art that create the problems to be overcome by the present invention include a device for mounting a lamp socket comprising an elongated support member forming an elongated passage. The support member, which is a branch support of a candelabrum, has an externally threaded portion at one end, which has an opening to the passage. A circumferential flange closely spaced from the inner end of the threaded portion provides support for a glass globe that is set into a globe receptacle that in turn is set around the threaded portion and rests upon a support ring set upon the circumferential flange around the threaded portion. A socket, which holds a lamp bulb, has one end of a mounting bar secured to it. A clip is removably secured to the threaded portion, the clip being adapted to removably engage the free end of the mounting bar, thus securing the socket to the support member. Paired electrical connectors are connected to the electrical contacts in the socket and extend from the socket through the opening to the passage and through the passage and the support branch to electrical contacts.
The clip includes a pocket portion and a base portion. The base portion includes a substantially flat base wall which forms a central aperture adapted to receive the threaded portion of the support member. The base portion has a pair of opposed biased clip elements extending from the base wall over a part of the aperture. The clip elements engage the threads of the threaded portion. The pocket portion is adapted to receive the free, or mounting, end of the bar member. The pocket portion of the clip member includes a vertical wall secured to the periphery of the base portion. The vertical wall is substantially perpendicular to the base portion and is located substantially midway between the opposed biased clip elements. The vertical wall has opposed vertical edge portions and opposed C-shaped channel members forming cpposed vertical slots extending over the base portion. The mounting end of the mounting bar member is disposed in the slots. The clip elements have opposed arcuate inner edges configured to engage the threads of the threaded portion, so that the clip device can be alternately pressed on or screwed on or off the threaded portion. A mounting tool is adapted to receive the clip member in removable engagement. When mounted to the tool, the tool can be used to press the clip device over the threads of the threaded portion of the branch support until the clip device comes to rest against the bottom wall of the globe receptacle, the well in turn resting against the mounting ring, which sets immediately on the circumferential flange just below the threaded portion.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Continuations (3)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
794037 |
Nov 1985 |
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| Parent |
732038 |
Apr 1985 |
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| Parent |
484048 |
Apr 1983 |
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Patent Grant
4664465
