Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898.
I, SAMUEL SIDNEY BROMHEAD, of 171, Queen Victoria Street, in the City and
County of London, Patent Agent (a communication from abroad), do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient support for
electric lamps, in which the electric wires will be housed so that they will not
become kinked or abraded.
To these ends, this invention consists of the parts and combinations of parts,
as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the
end of this specification.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a side view of an electric lamp support constructed according to this
invention,
Fig. 2 is a partial side view illustrating a slightly modified form of construction,
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the base-bracket or support, and
Fig. 4 is a detail view to be hereinafter referred to.
An electric lamp support constructed according to this invention comprises a
base-piece or bracket, a pipe pivotally mounted therein, and two ball-and-socket
joints for connecting the end of the pipe with an electric lamp socket.
The electric wires for the lamp may be led up inside of the pipe, and the ball-
and-socket joints are so located with respect to each other that the wires will not
become twisted or abraded no matter how frequently the lamp-socket is turned
or adjusted.
Referring to the drawings and in detail, 10 designates a base-plate or pedestal
secured in which is a support or bracket 11 for pivotally supporting the pipe 12.
The support 11, as most clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, is provided with a flange 13,
and an integral, downwardly extending stud 14 for receiving a securing nut 15.
A cylindrical piece 17 is secured on the pipe 12, and the support or bracket 11
is made in the form of a split yoke for receiving said cylindrical piece 17.
The support 11 is provided with a cut-away portion or recess 16 for receiving
the electric wires W, which extend up through the pipe 12.
A bolt 18 provided with a square head engaging a corresponding socket has a
clamping-nut 19 threaded thereon for adjusting the friction to be exerted upon
the cylindrical piece 17.
The support 11 is preferably cut away near its centre so as to allow the pipe 12
to turn freely through a considerable arc, and to form stops for limiting the
motion of the pipe 12.
The ball-and-socket joints for connecting the electric lamp socket A with the

page_text: pipe 12 comprise a ball 20 secured upon the upper end of the pipe 12, and a second
ball 21,
The balls 20 and 21 are connected by means of two yoke pieces 24.
A clamping screw 22 secured in one of the yoke pieces 24 extends loosely
through the other yoke-piece, and is provided with a clamping-nut 23 for adjust-
ably clamping the yoke-pieces into engagement with the balls 20 and 21.
As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the clamping screw 22 is located somewhat
nearer to the ball 20 than to the ball 21, and this has been found to be an impor-
tant point in practice, as by means of this adjustment, the clamping-nut 23, when
tightened, will exert a greater pressure upon the ball 20 than upon the ball 21.
Thus, by means of this construction, the ball-and-socket joint formed by the
yoke-pieces 24 and the ball 20 will be stiffer, or capable of more resistance than
the ball-and-socket joint formed by the yoke-pieces 24 and the second ball 21..
This relative stiffness of the joints is desirable, as the first ball-and-socket joint
has to sustain a somewhat greater weight than the second ball-and-socket joint.
In order to prevent all possibility of abrading the insulating coverings of the
wires W, a rubber bushing 25 may be journalled upon the screw 21, and the open-
ings to the pipes and balls may be provided with suitable rubber bushings, as
indicated in Figs. 3 and 4.
In some cases, instead of having the second ball 21 directly connected to the
electric lamp socket, an additional slide or pipe may be provided, and such a
construction is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4.
As illustrated in these figures, a sliding-pipe 26 extends through the ball 21,
and is connected with the electric light socket A by means of a knuckle-joint 27.
Extending down from, and connected to the ball 21, are metallic spring
fingers 28.
A clamping ring 29 is mounted on the spring-fingers 28 in position to be forced
down thereon to clamp the same into frictional engagement with the sliding-
pipe 26.
By means of this construction, the electric lamp may be given a somewhat wider
range of adjustment than in the construction previously described.
Changes may be made in the construction of electric light supports by those
who are skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this invention, as
expressed in the claims.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The improved electric light support, substantially as herein described.
2. The combination of a support, a pipe pivotally connected thereto, a ball
secured to the end of said pipe, an electric lamp socket, a ball connected thereto,
yoke-pieces, and a single clamping device for adjustably clamping said pieces into
engagement with the balls, substantially as described.
3. The combination of a support, a pipe pivotally connected thereto, a ball
secured on the end of said pipe, an electric lamp socket, a ball connected to said
socket, two yoke-pieces, and a clamping screw for adjustably clamping the yoke-
pieces into engagement with the balls, said clamping screw being located a shorter
distance from the ball carried by the pipe than from the ball connected to the
lamp socket, so as to exert greater pressure upon the first named than upon the
second named ball, substantially as described.
4. In a support for electric lamps, the combination of a pedestal or base-plate 10,
a support 11, a pipe pivotally mounted therein and adapted to receive electric-
light wires, two ball-and-socket joints for connecting the pipe with an electric
lamp socket, one ball-and-socket joint being formed by the yoke-pieces 24 and
a ball 20 carried by the pipe 12, the second joint being formed by the yoke-pieces 24
and a ball 21 connected to a lamp socket, a clamping screw 22, the clamping-

page_text: nut 23, and rubber bushings for preventing the electric wires from becoming
abraded, substantially as described.
5. The combination of a pipe 12, a cylindrical piece 17 secured thereon, and a
support 11 comprising a disk or plate 13, an integral securing stud 14 having a
recess 16 in its rear face, a screw 18 secured in said support, and a clamping
screw 19 for adjustably clamping the support into engagement with the cylindrical
piece 17, substantially as described.
6. The combination of a support, a ball-and-socket joint, a rod or pipe section
extending through the ball of said joint, a friction device carried by said ball, and
means for adjustably clamping the friction device into engagement with the rod
or pipe section, substantially as described.
7. The combination of a ball, a rod or pipe-section extending through said ball,
spring-arms carried by the ball, and means for adjustably clamping said spring
arms into engagement with the rod or pipe section, substantially as described.
8. The combination of a ball, a rod or pipe-section extending through said ball,
spring arms carried by the ball, and a movable ring for adjustably clamping said
spring-arms into engagement with the rod or pipe section, substantially as
described.
9. The combination of a base-plate or pedestal 10, a support or bracket 11, secured
therein, a pipe 12 pivotally mounted in said support, a ball secured on the end of
said pine, a ball 21, yoke-pieces 24, for adjustably connecting said balls, a pipe-
section 26 extending through the ball 21, spring-arms 28 carried by the ball,
and a ring 29 for adjustably clamping said spring-arms into engagement with
the pipe-section, substantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of Januar 1908