Socket adaptor for fluorescent lamp
AssigneeDuro-Test Corporation
InventorDonald Northrop
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adaptor for extending tombstone style lamp sockets, as used with fluorescent lamps to permit the use of shorter lamps. The adaptors include pins which are rotated into the standard tombstone style socket and then further include contact openings in a plunger plate movable in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the fluorescent lamp to permit insertion of a fluorescent lamp without the need for rotating it into the tombstone socket.
Claims15
A socket adaptor for a reduced length elongated fluorescent lamp having two opposed ends each with a pair of outwardly projecting electrical terminals thereon, said lamp to be mounted in a lamp fixture having a pair of spaced tombstone type sockets each having pairs of electrical contacts thereon mounted in opposition at the ends of a longitudinal axis of greater length than said reduced length lamp, the two electrical terminals at each end of a fluorescent lamp being inserted into a respective tombstone socket by a rotating action, said adaptor for converting rotating type installation of said lamp into plunger type installation and wherein the improvement comprises:
- a housing having a first and a second end;
- a pair of projecting electrically conductive pins mounted at said housing second end, each of said pins adapted to engage and make electrical contact with one of said electrical contacts in a tombstone socket of a fixture upon rotatable insertion of said housing and the electrically conductive pins thereon into the electrical contacts of a tombstone socket;
- means at said first end of said housing having a pair of apertures into which the pair of projecting electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp are to be inserted in a substantially straight line motion from said first to said second end of said housing;
- a respective electrical contact means aligned with each aperture at said first end of said housing for making electrical contact with a respective lamp terminal as the lamp is inserted therein toward said second housing end, each of said electrical contact means being electrically connected to a respective conductive pin at said second end of said housing;
- means for resiliently biasing said electrical contact means in a direction toward said first end of said housing against the direction of force of insertion of the pair of electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp;
- and a spring loaded locking clip external of said housing for attaching said adaptor to said tombstone socket, said clip having a first legg and a second leg disposed perpendicular to each other, one of said legs coupled to said housing and the other of said legs lying generally parallel to said housing second end and spaced therefrom at a distance sufficient to receive the tombstone socket in the space between said other leg and said housing second end.
A socket adaptor for reduced length elongated fluorescent lamp having two opposed ends each with a pair of outwardly projecting electrical terminals thereon, said lamp to be mounted in a lamp fixture having a pair of spaced tombstone type sockets each having a pair of electrical contacts thereon mounted in opposition at the ends of a longitudinal axis of greater length than said reduced length lamp, the two electrical terminals at each end of a fluorescent lamp being inserted into a respective tombstone socket by a rotating action, said adaptor for converting rotating type installation of said lamp into plunger type installation and wherein the improvement comprises:
- a housing having a first and a second end;
- a pair of projecting electrically conductive pins rigidly mounted at said housing second end, each of said pins adapted to engage and make electrical contact with one of said electrical contacts in a tombstone socket of a fixture upon rotatable insertion of said housing which causes rotation of the electrically conductive pins thereon into the electrical contacts of a tombstone socket;
- a plunger plate at said first end of said housing having a pair of apertures into which the pair of projecting electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp are to be inserted in a substantially straight line motion from said first to said second end of said housing, said plunger plate being movable in a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis;
- a respective electrically conductive spring contact means aligned with each aperture of the plunger plate at said first end of said housing for making electrical contact with a respective lamp terminal as the lamp is inserted therein toward said second housing end, each of said spring contact means being electrically connected to a respective conductive pin at said second end of said housing;
- each said spring contact means producing a resilient biasing force in a direction toward said first end of said housing against the direction of force of insertion of the pair of electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp into said apertures of said plunger plate;
- and means adjacent said first end of said housing for retaining said plunger plate within said housing.
A socket adaptor for a reduced length elongated fluorescent lamp having two opposed ends each with a pair of outwardly projecting electrical terminals thereon, said lamp to be mounted in a lamp fixture having a pair of spaced tombstone type sockets each having a pair of electrical contacts thereon mounted in opposition at the ends of a longitudinal axis of greater length than said reduced length lamp, the two electrical terminals at each end of a fluorescent lamp being inserted into a respective tombstone socket by a rotating action, said adaptor for converting rotating type installation of said lamp into plunger type installation and wherein the improvement comprises:
- a housing having a first and a second end;
- a pair of projecting electrically conductive pins mounted at said housing second end, each of said pins adapted to engage and make electrical contact with one of said electrical contacts in a tombstone socket of a fixture upon rotatable insertion of said housing and the electrical by conductive pins thereon into the electrical contacts of a tombstone socket;
- means at said first end of said housing having a pair of apertures into which the pair of projecting electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp are to be inserted in a substantially straight line motion from said first to said second end of said housing;
- a respective electrically conductive contact means formed by a leaf spring having an arcuate shaped portion, said leaf spring having one part electrically connected to a respective conductive pin and an area aligned with and overlying a respective aperture at said first end of said housing for making electrical contact with a respective lamp terminal as the lamp is inserted therein toward said second housing end, each said arcuate shaped portion of said leaf spring producing a resilient biasing force in a direction toward said first end of said housing against the direction of force of insertion of the pair of electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp.
A socket adaptor for a reduced length elongated fluorescent lamp having two opposed ends each with a pair of outwardly projecting electrical terminals thereon, said lamp to be mounted in a lamp fixture having a pair of spaced tombstone type sockets each having a pair of electrical contacts thereon mounted in opposition at the ends of a longitudinal axis of greater length than said reduced length lamp, the two electrical terminals at each end of a fluorescent lamp being inserted into a respective tombstone socket by a rotating action, said adaptor for converting rotating type installation of said lamp into plunger type installation and wherein the improvement comprises:
- a housing having a first and a second end;
- a pair of projecting electrically conductive pins mounted at said housing second end, each of said pins adapted to engage and make electrical contact with one of said electrical contacts in a tombstone socket of a fixture upon rotatable insertion of said housing and the electrically conductive pins thereon into the electrical contacts of a tombstone socket;
- means at said first end of said housing having a pair of apertures into which the pair of projecting electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp are to be inserted in a sustantially straight line motion from said first to said second end of said housing;
- a pair of hollow wells formed on the interior of said housing second end;
- a respective hollow elecltrically conductive cup contact means aligned with a respective well and with each aperture at said first end of said housing for making electrical contact with a respective lamp terminal as the lamp is inserted therein toward said second housing end;
- an electrical conductor connected between each of said cup contact means and a respective conductive pin at said second end of said housing;
- and a compression spring disposed within each of said cup contact means and its aligned well for resiliently biasing said cup contact means in a direction toward said first end of said housing against the direction of force of insertion of the pair of electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp.
A socket adaptor for a reduced length elongated fluorescent lamp having a two opposed ends each with a pair of outwardly projecting electrical terminals thereon, said lamp to be mounted in a lamp fixture having a pair of spaced tombstone type sockets each having a pair of electrical contacts thereon mounted in opposition at the ends of a longitudinal axis of greater length than said reduced length lamp, the two electrical terminals at each end of a fluorescent lamp being inserted into a respective tombstone socket by a rotating action, said adaptor for converting rotating type installation of said lamp into plunger type installation and wherein the improvement comprises:
- a housing having a first and a second end;
- a pair of projecting electrically conductive pins mounted at said housing second end, each of said pins adapted to engage and make electrical contact with one of said electrical contacts in a tombstone socket of a fixture upon rotatable insertion of said housing and the electrically conductive pins thereon into the electrical contacts of a tombstone socket;
- a plunger plate at said first end of said housing having a pair of apertures into which the pair of projecting electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp are to be inserted in a substantially straight line motion from said first to said second end of said housing;
- a respective electrically conductive spring contact means aligned with each aperture of the plunger plate at said first end of said housing for making electrical contact with a respective lamp terminal as the lamp is inserted therein toward said second housing end, each of said electrical contact means being electrically connected to a respective conductive pin at said second end of said housing, each said spring contact means producing a resilient biasing force in a direction toward said first end of said housing against the direction of force of insertion of the pair of electrical terminals at an end of said reduced length lamp into said apertures of said plunger plate;
- and
- plunger plate engaging means extending from said second end toward said first end of said housing and mating engaging means on said plunger plate for mechanically coupling said plunger plate to said housing, rotation of said plunger plate rotating said housing and the pins thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.