Lamp holder having lockable cap with integral clamping elements

An improved lamp holder assembly includes an electrical bulb base member which has its lower end inserted into a cavity in a socket member, and is removably retained therein by an annular-shaped cap member removably locked onto the upper end of the socket member. the annular cap member has a radially extending u-shaped clamping element which includes dual arms integrally molded onto the cap member, together with an adjacent u-shaped wire guide element. The wire guide element can attach the socket member onto the lamp holder electrical wires, and the u-shaped clamping element can be used for attaching the lamp holder assembly onto a separate structure or surface, so as to form together with other lamp holder assemblies a decorative lighted structure such an animal or tree.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
This invention relates to an improved lamp holder assembly adapted for use 
in a series of spaced-apart decorative lights, such as Christmas lights, 
and includes a removable annular-shaped cap member which locks rotatably 
onto a socket member to positively retain an electrical bulb therein. The 
invention particularly relates to a lamp holder having a u-shaped fastener 
clamp integrally molded onto the lockable cap member for affixing the lamp 
holder to a desired support structure or surface. The lockable cap member 
also includes a wire guide potion located adjacent to the fastener 
clamping element, for receiving and positioning electrical wires leading 
to and from the lamp holder socket. 
Many types of lamp holder assembly arrangements are disclosed by the prior 
art, however, they all exhibit various lamp deficiencies and shortcomings 
for convenient and reliable usage. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,072 to 
Kall discloses a lamp socket having a direction fixture integrally formed 
as part of the socket for retaining the electrical wires so as to orient 
the socket in the direction of a series of lamp sockets spaced along the 
wires. The socket direction fixture has an elastic access notch for 
retaining the wires, but no provision is made to affix the lamp holder to 
another structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,288 to Maddock discloses a lamp 
holder which has an integral clip formed by a pair of spaced-apart radial 
jaws for attaching the lamp holder onto a structure such as screw head. 
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,741 to Wang discloses a bulb fastening structure 
for Christmas light strings, which includes an annular cap attached 
securely onto a socket by utilizing inner interlocking projections. Other 
prior art patents employ various conventional clips on a lamp socket body 
for positioning the lamp socket onto a structure such as a tree limb. 
However. none of the known prior art discloses a lamp holder assembly 
having the advantages and benefits as provided by the present invention. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved lamp 
holder assembly having a rotatably lockable annular cap member with 
integrally formed clamp and wire guide elements. 
Another object of the invention is directed to providing a lamp holder 
having such a lockable cap member integrally molded as a unitary structure 
with a hold-down clamping element provided adjacent to a wire guide 
element. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a lamp holder assembly 
which is easy to use and inexpensive, and has an integral clamping element 
for positively mounting the lamp holder onto an independent structure or 
surface so as to form a decorative pattern. 
The lamp holder assembly according to the invention includes an electrical 
bulb having dual bare wires extending from its lower end and which is 
inserted into a cavity located in an upper portion of a base member. The 
base member is inserted into a cavity provided in the upper end portion of 
a socket member having two electrically insulated wires connected to its 
lower end. The base member is received in the socket member so that the 
wires provide electrical contact therein. The electrical bulb base member 
is retained in the socket member by an annular-shaped cap or collar member 
which is rotatable, lockable onto the socket member. The cap member has a 
u-shaped clamping portion integrally molded onto a cylindrical-shaped side 
of the cap member. Also, a u-shaped wire guide is integrally molded onto 
the socket member adjacent to the u-shaped clamping portion, so that the 
wire guide shares one leg of the u-shaped clamping portion of the cap 
member. The dual u-shaped arms of the clamping portion advantageously have 
multiple longitudinal serrations provided on their inner surfaces, which 
facilitate attaching the cap member of the lamp holder assembly together 
with other lamp holder assemblies onto a stationary structure or surface 
so as to provide a decorative patterns or shape, such as a recognizable 
animal, figure or tree. 
This invention advantageously provides an improved decorative lamp holder 
assembly, which can be part of a string of decorative electrical lamps, 
with each lamp holder being conveniently and reliably attached onto a 
stationary structure such as a tree limb or a wire frame by utilizing the 
u-shaped clamping element which is integrally molded onto the side of the 
lamp holder cap member. These lamp holder assemblies can also each be 
oriented substantially parallel with the dual electrical wires, connected 
to the lamp holder. by the wires being retained in a wire guide element 
integrally molded onto the cap member adjacent to the u-shaped clamping 
elements.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to providing an improvement for 
decorative lamp holders of the general type disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 
5,435,741, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference to 
the extent needed to adequately disclose the present invention. More 
particularly, as shown in the accompanying FIGS. 1-3, the lamp holder 
assembly 10 comprises an electrical bulb element 12, which is inserted 
into a base element 13 which has dual bare electrical wires 13a extending 
out from its lower end. The bulb base element 13 is inserted into a 
complementary-shaped cavity 14a provided in the upper end of a socket 
member 14, in such manner that the dual bare wires 13a each contact one of 
dual electrically insulated wires 15 which extend from the lower end of 
socket member 14. 
The bulb base element 13 inserted into the socket 14 is positively held in 
position by an annular-shaped cap 16. The cap 16 is detachably locked onto 
the upper end of the socket 14 by having dual radial projections 14b 
provided at the socket upper end, which projections can slide into dual 
interfitting longitudinal grooves 16a provided in the inner surface of the 
cap 16 and then be rotated past a cam surface 16b into adjacent dual lock 
recesses 16c of the cap 16. The dual lock recesses 16c communicate with 
dual openings 17 provided in the cylindrical-shaped wall of the cap 16. 
The annular cap 16 is advantageously provided with an integrally molded 
clamping or holding element 20 which is adapted for securing the lamp 
holder assembly 10 to a convenient support structure or surface 21, such 
as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The cap member 16 is additionally provided with a 
u-shaped wire guide element 22c integrally formed in the cap side wall and 
disposed in close proximity to the clamping element 20. The entire cap 
member 16, including the clamping element 20 and wire guide element 22, is 
of a unitary construction (see FIG. 2) and is formed of a suitable 
resilient moldable plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene. 
The clamping element 20 of the detachable annular cap or collar 16 is 
generally made u-shaped as defined by a pair of curved spaced apart 
gripping jaw members 20a, 20b, each being disposed substantially 
perpendicular to and in alignment with the lower portion of cap 16. Each 
of the spaced-apart gripping members 20a, 20b, is formed with angular 
receiving surfaces 20c, 20d to define the u-shaped opening 23 which 
permits easy entry and positioning for engagement of the lamp holder 
assembly 10 onto a suitable structure or surface 21 as generally shown in 
FIG. 2. 
The annular cap 16 has a wire guide element 22 which is also integrally 
molded in the cap wall adjacent to the clamping jaw 20b. The wire guide 
element 22 is formed as an arcuate projection extending perpendicular to 
the cap 16 wall and in alignment with the bottom surface 24 thereof, so as 
to define a space 26 formed between the outer surface of gripping jaw 
element 20b and the spaced wire guide element 22. The element 22 is shaped 
inwardly toward the adjacent surface 20b so as to form an oblique space or 
opening 23 for positively receiving and retaining the electrical wires 15 
of lamp holder 10. The opening 23 is made narrow at its entrance and 
gradually expands to permit entry and retention by engagement of wires 15 
with the parallel wall surfaces of cap 16 and gripping jaw element 20b. 
The inner surfaces of gripping jaw elements 20a, 20b are each provided 
with multiple parallel serrations 25 to form a plurality of engagement 
surfaces for co-action with the independent structure or surfaces 21 upon 
which the lamp holder 10 is to be held in place. 
The present invention is particularly suited for lamp holders for a series 
of decorative lamps, such as Christmas ornamental lamps, which are to be 
affixed onto a structure or surface 21 in order to conform to a predefined 
pattern. For example, the decorative lamps can be positioned on a wire 
frame shape of a particular recognizable structure, such as a reindeer, a 
Santa Claus figure, or sleigh so as to add a lighted feature to such a 
structure or figures. In such an arrangement, the lamp holders are each 
affixed by engagement of the cap clamping members 20 to the structure such 
as a wire frame by action of the gripping elements 20a, 20b, with the 
surface of the wire frame, so as to provide a clamping action therewith. 
In sequence, the bulb 12, socket 14 and associated wires 15 are spaced 
therefrom, so as to assure that the lamp holders 10 each have a fixed 
relationship with each other and are free from any unwanted interference 
with the structure or surface upon which the lamp holder is mounted. 
Although this invention has been described broadly and also in terms of a 
preferred embodiment, it will be apparent that modifications and 
variations can be made and that some elements can be provided without 
others, all within the scope as defined by the appended claims.