Lamp assembly

A lamp assembly comprising:

• (A) a socket assembly having a socket adapted to releasably receive a bulb, said socket assembly also having a plurality of terminals at one end thereof adapted to electrically connect with a bulb received in said socket;
• (B) a connector;
• (C) a plurality of terminals positioned in said connector;
• (D) a base defining a socket assembly cavity having an opening in one face of said base, a connector cavity having an opening in another face of said base remote from said one face, and a partition separating said cavities;
• (E) a plurality of elongated conductors extending in parallel fashion through said partition with their one ends disposed in said socket assembly cavity, their other ends disposed in said connector cavity, and sealingly passing intermediate their ends through said partition;
• (F) coacting means on said socket assembly adjacent said one end thereof and on said base adjacent said socket assembly cavity operative in response to insertion of said one end of said socket assembly into said socket assembly cavity through said socket assembly cavity opening to sealingly and disassemblably position said one socket assembly end in said socket assembly cavity with said socket assembly terminals in respective electrical contact with said one ends of said conductors;
• and
• (G) coacting means on said connector and on said base adjacent said connector cavity operative in response to insertion of said connector into said connector cavity through said connector cavity opening to sealingly and disassemblably position said connector in said connector cavity to close the latter opening entirely around said connector and also to position said connector terminals in respective electrical contact with said other ends of said conductors.

A lamp assembly comprising a socket assembly and a base having portions interfitting to define a socket cavity therebetween;

• said socket assembly comprising a housing, electrical conductor means, and a bulb holder;
• said bulb holder having inner and outer ends, an outwardly opening bulb cavity in said outer end for receiving a bulb insertable therein, and a base portion fitting within said socket cavity at said inner end;
• said electrical conductor means having electrical contacts arranged in said bulb cavity for electrically connecting with a bulb inserted into said bulb cavity and also having electrical contact terminals extending through said base portion into said socket cavity;
• said bulb holder comprising a hard resilient dielectric material, said base portion of said bulb holder having spaced walls extending toward said outer end to define said bulb cavity, at least one of said spaced walls comprising a cantilevered finger member joined only at said inner end to said base portion and free at said outer end for swinging resiliently by wedge action for passage of a wedge base of a bulb into said bulb cavity and for thereafter snapping back to releasably retain said wedge base within said bulb cavity, said bulb cavity being of generally rectangular cross section for receiving a wedge base of generally rectangular cross section, the spacing between said spaced walls comprising the shorter dimension of said generally rectangular cross section of said bulb cavity, the longer dimension of the latter cross section being normal to said shorter dimension to provide a comparatively large dimension for the surface contact between said spaced walls and wedge base compared to said shorter dimension, said spaced walls having confronting channels therein adjacent to and spaced from said outer end, said channels opening toward each other and extending lengthwise of said longer dimension.

A lamp assembly including three separate interfittable elements comprising a socket assembly, a base, and a connector assembly;

• said socket assembly and base having resiliently yieldable interfitting portions attachable together to define a socket cavity and a sealed peripheral wall around said socket cavity;
• said peripheral wall and base closing one end of said socket cavity;
• a bulb holder having a bulb cavity for reception of a bulb insertable therein;
• electrical conductor means assembled with said bulb holder;
• said conductor means having electrical contacts within said bulb cavity for electrically connecting with a bulb inserted in said bulb cavity and also having electrical terminals within said socket cavity;
• a plurality of conductors having terminals at their one ends in electrical connection with said electrical terminals of said conductor means;
• said connector assembly and one of the other two of said elements having interfitting portions for attachment together in sealing relationship to provide a connector cavity having one end of said connector assembly inserted therein, said peripheral wall comprising a partition wall between said connector and socket cavities, passage means extending through said partition wall to connect said connector cavity and said socket cavity, said conductors extending from said connector cavity through said passage means in sealing relationship to close the latter and to effect said electrical connection between said terminals of said conductors and conductor means within said socket cavity, said connector assembly having electrical contacts connectible with the other ends of said conductors, the sealing relationship between said one element and connector assembly comprising a seal closing said connector cavity entirely around said connector assembly.