Claims
- 1. A lamp socket assembly comprising:
- a) a substantially cylindrical screwshell having a substantially closed end, an open end and a wall in which is formed a screw thread between said ends, said screwshell making an electrical connection with the threaded metal base of an electrical lamp placed in said screwshell through said open end and made to threadably engage said screw thread of said screwshell wall;
- b) a disk of insulating material having a first surface and a second surface;
- c) a body member fabricated of insulating material having a first end surface and a second end surface parallel with one another and spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of said assembly;
- d) said disk positioned between said screwshell and said body member with said first surface of said disk adjacent said substantially closed end of said screwshell and said second surface of said disk adjacent said second end surface of said body member;
- e) a substantially U-shaped recess in said first end surface extending across said first end surface perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and into said body member towards said second end surface, said recess having a width less than said first end surface diameter to provide a shoulder on said first surface to each side of said recess, said recess having a floor and two vertical walls parallel with said longitudinal axis;
- f) a first conductive member having a first end and a second end;
- g) first fastening means holding in assembly said screwshell, said disk, said body member and said second end of said first conductive member;
- h) said first conductive member having a first insulation displacing contact at said first end extending into said recess for displacing the insulation and making contact with a first central metallic conductor of an insulated electrical cord having two side-by-side linked insulated electrical conductors;
- i) a second conductive member having a third end and a fourth end;
- j) a displaceable tongue having a fifth end and a sixth end, said fifth end of said displaceable tongue passing through the non-closed portion of said substantially closed end of said screwshell and an aperture in said disk to engage said fourth end of said second conductive member, said sixth end of said displaceable tongue positioned in said screwshell to engage the contact button at the base of an electrical lamp threadably engaging said screw thread of said screwshell wall;
- k) said second conductive member having a second insulation displacing contact at said third end extending into said recess for displacing the insulation and making contact with the second central metallic conductor of an insulated electrical cord having two sideby-side linked electrical conductors;
- l) said second insulation displacing contact being offset along said recess from said first insulation displacing contact to prevent interference with the operation of said first and second insulation displacing contacts;
- m) actuator means having a first end and a second end, said actuator means pivotally mounted adjacent said second end to said vertical walls of said recess to permit said actuator means to move said first end of said actuator means toward and away from said floor of said recess;
- n) said actuator means having a central passageway extending from adjacent said first end of said actuator means towards said second end of said actuator means to receive an electrical cord therein when said actuator means first end is pivoted away from said floor of said recess and to cause the engagement of each of said two side-by-side linked insulated electrical conductors with its associated first and second insulation displacing contacts and the electrical connection of each of said first and second central metallic conductors with its associated first and second insulation displacing contacts;
- o) lock means on said actuator means adjacent said first end to engage associated apertures in said vertical walls of said recess to retain said first end of said actuator means adjacent said floor of said recess;
- p) said actuator means has a top member, a bottom member and two side members joined so as to form a hollow rectangular structure open adjacent said first end of said actuating means and closed adjacent said second end of said actuating means, the inner surfaces of said top member, said bottom member and said two side members defining said central passageway;
- q) a first cut-out in said bottom member adjacent said first end of said actuator means;
- r) an upstanding member extending upwardly from said recess floor towards said first end surface and parallel with said recess vertical walls at a point remote from the pivotal mounting of said actuating means to said vertical walls of said recess; and
- s) said upstanding member extending through said first cut-out to engage an electrical cord in said passageway to provide strain relief for the electrical cord.
- 2. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said upstanding member has a height above said floor of said recess such that its free end forces an electrical cord in said passageway against the inner surface of said top member and distorts said electrical cord.
- 3. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said upstanding member has a front face and a rear face and a top face inclined upwardly from said front face to said rear face to provide a line of engagement between said upstanding member and an electrical cord in said passageway.
- 4. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein said upstanding member has a front face and a rear face and a top face inclined upwardly from said front face to said rear face to provide a line of engagement between said upstanding member and an electrical cord in said passageway.
- 5. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- a) said first insulation displacing contact has a first end coupled to said first end of said first conductive member and a second end extending into said recess, said second end coming to a central point and a slot extending from the apex of the point towards said second end of said first insulation displacing contact;
- b) said second insulation displacing contact has a third end coupled to said third end of said second conductive member and a fourth end extending into said recess, said fourth end coming to a central point and a slot extending from the apex of said point towards said third end of said second insulation displacing contact; and
- c) a second cut-out in said bottom member adjacent said second end of said actuating means whereby when said actuating means first end is moved towards the floor of said recess with an electrical cord in said central passageway said first and second insulation displacing contacts pass through said second cut-out and engage their associated ones of said two insulated electrical conductors of said electrical cord and to displace the insulation and make electrical and mechanical contact with the respective ones of said first and second central metallic conductors.
- 6. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising:
- a) at least one indexing finger on said actuator means adjacent said second end; and
- b) a plurality of ratchet steps on at least one of said shoulders on said first end surface to each side of said recess; and
- c) said at least one indexing finger engaging one of said plurality of ratchet steps on said at least one of said shoulders to limit movement of said first end of said actuator means towards and away from said floor of said recess.
- 7. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 5, further comprising:
- a) at least one indexing finger on said actuator means adjacent said second end; and
- b) a plurality of ratchet steps on at least one of said shoulders on said first end surface to each side of said recess;
- c) said at least one indexing finger engaging one of said plurality of ratchet steps on said at least one of said shoulders to limit movement of said first end of said actuator means towards and away from said floor of said recess.
- 8. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- a) said top member is wider than said bottom member to provide top member extensions along each of said two side members from said first end of said actuating means towards said second end of said actuating means;
- b) an indexing finger on the end of each of said two top member extensions adjacent said second end of said actuator means;
- c) a plurality of ratchet steps on each of said two shoulders on said first end surface to each side of said recess; and
- d) each of said two indexing fingers engaging a corresponding one of said plurality of ratchet steps on an associated one of said two shoulders to limit movement of said first end of said actuator means towards and away from said floor of said recess.
- 9. A lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 5, wherein:
- a) said top member is wider than said bottom member to provide top member extensions along each of said two side members from said first end of said actuating means;
- b) an indexing finger on the end of each of said two top member extensions adjacent said second end of said actuating means; and
- c) a plurality of ratchet steps on each of said two shoulders on said first end surface to each side of said recess;
- d) each of said two indexing fingers engaging a corresponding one of said plurality of ratchet steps on an associated one of said two shoulders to limit movement of said first end of said actuator means towards and away from said floor of said recess.
- 10. In a lamp socket assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- a) said actuator means has two parallel side walls and an indexing finger on each of said side walls adjacent said second end of said actuator means; and
- b) a plurality of ratchet steps on said body member adjacent each of said side walls of said actuator means and said second end of said actuator means;
- c) each of said two indexing fingers engaging a corresponding one of said plurality of ratchet steps on an associated one of said two pluralities of ratchet steps to limit movement of said first end of said actuator means towards and away from said body member.
- 11. In a lamp socket assembly having an insulated body member and an actuator means pivotally coupled at a second end to said body member to move a first end of said actuator means towards and away from said body member, a position control mechanism for fixing the position of said first end of said actuator means with respect to said body member comprising:
- a) at least one indexing finger on said actuator means adjacent said second end; and
- b) a plurality of ratchet steps on at least one shoulder of said body member adjacent said actuator means second end and to at least one side of said actuator means;
- c) said at least one indexing finger engaging one of said plurality of ratchet steps on said at least one of said shoulders to limit movement of said first end of said actuator means towards and away from said body member.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/738,740 filed on Oct. 28, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,497.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4874329 |
Yu |
Oct 1989 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
738740 |
Oct 1996 |
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