Improvements in Sockets or Holders for Incandescent Electric Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sockets or Holders for Incandescent Electric
Lamps.
I, JAMES DEVONSHIRE, Secretary of the British Thomson-Houston, Limited,
of 38 Parliament Street, Westminster, London, (a communication from abroad by
Herbert C. Wirt, Electrical Engineer, of Schenectady, in the State of New York,
United States of America,) do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to sockets or holders for incandescent electric lamps, and
has special reference to the construction of the key and its supporting frame.
Heretofore the bearings in the key frame have been made solid and the key shaft
was retained in said frame by pins driven into holes drilled in the key shaft and
located within the bearings of the frame.
The object of this invention is to provide a key and supporting frame which
will be economical and by means of which the key may be readily secured in the
frame.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a view of a blank from which the key frame is formed;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the key frame with bearings bent up and ready
for the insertion of the key shaft ;
Figs. 3 and 4 are side and edge views respectively of the key shaft;
Figs. 5 and 6 are plan and side views of the key and its frame complete ;
Fig. 7 is a vertical cross section of the line x-x of Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section on the line - of Fig. 6, and
Fig. 9 is a transverse cross section on the line z-z Fig. 4.
The frame for the key shaft is formed from a blank 1, as shown in Fig. 1,
consisting of a strip of metal of the proper dimensions for the frame, and formed
with an oval opening 2 at one end forming a bearing for the outer end of the key
shaft, and with a U-shaped recess 3 at the other end having on one side thereof an
arm 4, and on the other side thereof a shorter arm 51, of such a length relatively
to each other that when the long arm 4 is bent around in the same plane with the
blank so that the bevelled end 5 of the arm 4 is brought into contact with bevelled
end 6 of the arm 51, an opening 7 will be formed constituting a bearing for the
inner portion of the key shaft. 8 indicates a projection on one side of the U-shaped
portion 3, provided with a hole 9, which serves as a connection for the attachment
of one of the terminals of the electric circuit. 10 indicates a hole in the
base of the frame for attachment of the frame to the base of the socket. The second
step in forming the frame for the key shaft consists in bending up the ends on the
blank 1 into the shape shown in Fig. 2, the long arm 4 being in a perpendicular
position, leaving the inner bearing for the key shaft open.
In the ordinary construction of frames for key shafts the inner bearing of the
frame is formed of one piece similar to the outer bearing 2, and the key shaft is
inserted in place by pushing it through the openings 2 and 7. The key shaft is
then held in place by means of small pins which are pushed through holes in the
key shaft drilled in the latter. This construction is not only expensive, but requires
much time and trouble in putting the key shaft in place or removing it, on account

page_text: of having to insert the pins in the holes drilled in the key shaft, and also by
reason of drilling the holes in the key shaft. These objections are obviated by
applicant's invention, by dispensing with the necessity for drilling holes in the shaft
and the providing of the transverse pins inserted through said holes; and in lieu
thereof striking up suitable projections on the key shaft, as shown more particularly
in Figs. 3 and 4, of any suitable shape. As shown, lateral projections 11 are struck
up on the key shaft 12 adjacent to its ends. Then by reason of the construction:
of the frame having the bearing with the long arm 4 and the short arm 51, the key
shaft 12 can be readily put in place in its bearings in the openings 2 and 7, the
projections 11 being located within the upright arms 13 and 14 of the frame. The
inner projections 11 are at such a distance from the inner end of the key shaft 12
as to be located adjacent to the inner side of the arm 14, and to bring the shouldered
portion 15 of the handle 16 of the key adjacent to the outer side of the arm 14.
The projections 11 adjacent to the outer end of the key shaft 12-are located at
such a distance from the end of the latter as to leave room for the location of the
contact piece 17 between the projections 11 and the inner face of the arm 13, the
contact. 17 being of the usual form, or that of an oblong block with a square
recessed portion 18 on its inner face, in which the projections 11 are adapted to
play loosely before coming into contact with the inner end of the recess 18, so as
to afford a lost motion in the rotary motion of the contact piece 17 when thrown
into or out of contact with the shell of the lamp socket or other contacting
portion.
19 is a spring secured to the base of the key frame, having its free outer end
bearing against the contact piece 17, and permitting the latter to ride over the end
of the spring 19 as the key is turned. After the key shaft is inserted in its
bearings 2 and 7, it is held in place by simply bending over the long arm 4 until
its bevelled end 5 abuts against the bevelled end 6 of the short arm 51.
It will thus be seen that by means of this construction the key shaft may be
readily inserted in place and removed from its frame by simply bending the long
arm 4 into or out of position, and the expense of drilling holes in the key shaft
and the transverse pins inserted therein is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said. inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
from abroad, I declare that what I claim is:
1. As a new article of manufacture a supporting frame for the key shaft of an
incandescent electric lamp socket, having the socket of one of its bearings adapted
to be opened or closed, to receive the key shaft laterally, and secure the latter in
plac.
2. As a new article of manufacture, a supporting frame for the key shaft of an
incandescent electric lamp socket, having the socket of one of its bearings separable,
so as to admit the key shaft laterally, and adapted to be closed so as to retain the
key shaft in place.
3. As a new article of manufacture, a frame for the key shaft of an incandescent
electric lamp socket, having the socket of one of its bearings formed by means
of arms adapted to be closed together, and form a socket for the key shaft.
4. As a new article of manufacture, a frame for the key shaft of an incandescent
electric lamp socket, formed from a blank having its ends bent up to form the
upright bearings for the key shaft, one of said bearings having an oval socket,
and the other a separable circular socket, adapted to be opened and closed to
permit the key shaft to be inserted laterally.
5. As a new article of manufacture, a key shaft for an incandescent electric lamp
socket, formed with projections adjacent to its ends struck up from the key sbaft
and serving to retain the key shaft in its frame.
6. A key shaft having projections struck up therefrom adjacent to its ends, an
oblong, rectangular contact piece with a rectangular recess on its inner face loosely
engaging the projections on the key shaft so as to have lost motion, and a spring

page_text: bearing against the contact piece, in combination with a key frame having a socket
bearing at one end adapted to be opened and closed and permit of the lateral.
insertion of the key shaft.
Dated this 5th of May 1896.
For the Applicant,
J. C. CHAPMAN,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.