CA2195820A1 - Light bulb base - Google Patents
Light bulb baseInfo
- Publication number
- CA2195820A1 CA2195820A1 CA 2195820 CA2195820A CA2195820A1 CA 2195820 A1 CA2195820 A1 CA 2195820A1 CA 2195820 CA2195820 CA 2195820 CA 2195820 A CA2195820 A CA 2195820A CA 2195820 A1 CA2195820 A1 CA 2195820A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- base
- socket
- light bulb
- thread
- internal thread
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01K—ELECTRIC INCANDESCENT LAMPS
- H01K1/00—Details
- H01K1/42—Means forming part of the lamp for the purpose of providing electrical connection, or support for, the lamp
- H01K1/46—Means forming part of the lamp for the purpose of providing electrical connection, or support for, the lamp supported by a separate part, e.g. base, cap
- H01K1/465—Means forming part of the lamp for the purpose of providing electrical connection, or support for, the lamp supported by a separate part, e.g. base, cap with means to prevent loosening or unauthorised removal of the lamp
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J5/00—Details relating to vessels or to leading-in conductors common to two or more basic types of discharge tubes or lamps
- H01J5/50—Means forming part of the tube or lamps for the purpose of providing electrical connection to it
- H01J5/54—Means forming part of the tube or lamps for the purpose of providing electrical connection to it supported by a separate part, e.g. base
- H01J5/56—Shape of the separate part
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
- Fastening Of Light Sources Or Lamp Holders (AREA)
Abstract
An electrically conductive light bulb base has an upper portion with an external thread and a lower portion which is unthreaded and substantially cylindrical.
The cylindrical part is sized to fit snugly but slidably within the internal thread of a standard socket. The base can be mounted by being first shoved into the socket without rotation, to cause the unthreaded part to slide along the internal thread of the socket until the external thread of the base encounters the internal thread of the socket, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage the internal thread of the socket.
The cylindrical part is sized to fit snugly but slidably within the internal thread of a standard socket. The base can be mounted by being first shoved into the socket without rotation, to cause the unthreaded part to slide along the internal thread of the socket until the external thread of the base encounters the internal thread of the socket, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage the internal thread of the socket.
Description
~Iq5~
IMPROVED LIGHI BULB BASE
This invendon relates generally to an improved base for use with standard light bulbs, and related items which require the same kind of base.
BACKGROUND OF THIS INVENTION
Conventional screw type light bulb bases have been known for many decades.
One of the problems with the standard design arises when a person aKempts to screw in a light bulb from a position in which he cannot clearly see the socket itself. In such a case, one orients the light bulb in an axial direction which is believed to correspond with the axial direction of the socket, but success often requires several aue~
Another disadvantage of the conventional construction relates to the number of complete rotations required to screw the bulb far enough in to make contact with the central electrode at the boKom.
An additional problem relates to the fact that most light bulbs of 40 WaK ratingor greater tend to get very hot when they are on. If an aKempt is made to unscrew a light bulb that has recently been on, the process of repeatedly gripping and rotating the light bulb during the removal can be quite unpleasant.
SI~IMARY OF THIS INVENTION
IMPROVED LIGHI BULB BASE
This invendon relates generally to an improved base for use with standard light bulbs, and related items which require the same kind of base.
BACKGROUND OF THIS INVENTION
Conventional screw type light bulb bases have been known for many decades.
One of the problems with the standard design arises when a person aKempts to screw in a light bulb from a position in which he cannot clearly see the socket itself. In such a case, one orients the light bulb in an axial direction which is believed to correspond with the axial direction of the socket, but success often requires several aue~
Another disadvantage of the conventional construction relates to the number of complete rotations required to screw the bulb far enough in to make contact with the central electrode at the boKom.
An additional problem relates to the fact that most light bulbs of 40 WaK ratingor greater tend to get very hot when they are on. If an aKempt is made to unscrew a light bulb that has recently been on, the process of repeatedly gripping and rotating the light bulb during the removal can be quite unpleasant.
SI~IMARY OF THIS INVENTION
2 o - In view of the above disadvantages of the conventional construction, it is one aspect of this invention to provide an improved light bulb base which is designed and configured in such a way as to allow it to be pushed without rotating into an interrn~ te position within the socket, whereupon only a small arnount of rotation is needed in order to establish electrical contact with the standard central electrode (the 2 5 other electrode being the outside wall of the light bulb base). This construction allows faster removal of a light bulb, requiring only a small degree of initial rotation, following which the light bulb can be pulled axially out of the socket without rotation.
More specifically, this invention provides an electrically conductive base for alight bulb, the base having an upper portion and a lower portion, the base having an 3 o external thread on said upper portion sized to engage the internal thread of a standard socket, the base further having, adjacently below said external thread, a substantially smooth, unthreaded portion sized to fit snugly but slidably within said internal thread ~ Iq5~ 0 of a standard socket, whereby the base can be mounted in a standard socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause said unthreaded portion to slide along the internal thread of the socket until said external thread encounters the internal thread, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage theinternal thread of the socket.
Additionally, this invention provides an electric light bulb comprising:
a translucent bulb portion, conversion means within the bulb portion for converting electrical energy at least partly into light, and 0 a base eng~ging the bulb portion, the base having, adjacent its engagement with the bulb, an external thread sized to engage the internal thread of a standard socket, the base further having, ~ cent said external thread but remote from thebulb, a substantially smooth, unthreaded portion sized to fit snugly but slidably within said internal thread of a standard socket, whereby the base can be mounted in a standard socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause said unthreaded portion to slide along the internal thread of the socket until said external thread encounters the internal thread, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage the internal thread of the socket.
2 o GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment and several variants of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the standard light bulb, illustrating the2 5 prior art;
Figure 2 is an elevational view of one embodiment of the improved light bulb base, also showing, in section, the configuration of the standard socket with which the improved light bulb (specifically its base) is adapted to cooperate;
Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 show several variants of the Figure 2 configuration, all 3 o taken at the sectional line A-A seen in Figure 2; and Figure 7 is an enlarged, partial, perspective view of the light bulb base seen in Figure 2.
~ lqS8~0 DETAILED DESCR~ION OF THE DRAWINGS
Attention is first directed to Figure 1, which illustrates the main components of the known prior art light bulb. The prior art light bulb is generally shown at the numeral 10 and includes a transparent or tr~nsll~ent glass bulb 12, having a neck portion 14 to which is affixed a base 16 having an external thread 18 of relatively coarse pitch, and a downwardly projecting, electrically in~ tecl central electrode 20.
The disadvantages of this conventional design have already been mentioned, but are set out again in simplified list form:
0 1. It is often 11iffi~ult to orient the standard light bulb axially with respect to the socket, prior to screwing the light bulb in.
2. A large number of complete rotations are required to screw the bulb in.
3. Most light bulbs get very hot, and prolonged contact with hand during unscrewing can be unpleasant.
Attention is now directed to Figure 2, which illustrates the basic format of theimproved light bulb base of this invention.
As will be seen, the improved light bulb base 24 is ~tt~c~l~rl to a standard glass bulb 26 at the neck 28 thereof. The main characteristic which distinguishes the base 24 from the conventional base 16 is the absence of the lower portion of the external 2 o thread, and its replacement with a substantially cylindrical portion 30.
More specifically, the improved base 24 has an upper portion adjacent the bulb 26 and a lower portion below the upper portion. The upper portion exhibits an external thread 32 which is sized so as to be identical with the corresponding upper portion of the conventional external thread, and thus is adapted to engage the internal thread 34 of a standard light bulb socket 25. The base 24 further has, adjacently below the external thread 32, the subst~nti~lly smooth, unthreaded portion 30 mentioned previously. The unthreaded portion 30 is sized to fit snugly but slidably within the internal thread 34 of the standard socket 25.
The construction just described allows the base to be mounted in a standard 3 0 socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause the unthreaded portion 30 to slide inside and along the internal thread 34 of the socket, until the external thread 32 at the top of the improved base 24 encounters the internal thread 34 ,~)/oj5~o of the socket 25, whereupon the base 24 is rotated to cause the external thread 32 to firmly engage the internal thread 34 of the socket.
It will be understood, of course, that the electric light bulb shown in Figure 2has rem~ining portions which are unaffected by the mo~ifir~tion of the present development, but which are nPces~ry in order to allow the light bulb to fulfil its ~unction. Specifically, the light bulb in Figure 2 includes some form of conventional means within the bulb 26 which allows electrical energy to be converted at least partly into light. A typical such conversion means is a filament, specifically a tungsten filament (showing in broken lines at 36 in Figure 2) of which one end is connected o along an electrical lead 38 to the outside surface of the base 24, and of which the other end is connected along the lead 40 to a central electrode 42 at the bottom of the base 24.
In order to improve the grip between the base 24 and the socket 25, the unthreaded, relatively smooth cylindrical portion 30 can be given a slightly elliptical shape, as shown sch~m~tic~lly in Figure 3 by the central ellipse 44 located within a circle 46, the circle 46 represelltin~ the true circularity of the socket 25. Figure 3 is taken at the section line A-A, but it is to be understood that the schem~tic arrangement of Figure 3 shows only the external geometries, and does not include internal conductors, ins~ ting means, etc.
2 o Figures 4, 5 and 6 show, in sCIl~nl~ti( form, the external outline of the smooth portion 30 of the base 24, provided with two, three or four discrete outward protuberances 48, respectively, which are intended to bear resiliently against the internal thread 34 of the socket 25, thus improving the grip between the base 24 and the socket 25.
2 5 It is to be noted that the external thread 32 on the base 24 would normally span at least one full thread convolution. In the embodiment illustrated, the external thread spans approxirnately one and a half full thread convolutions.
In Figure 7, the smooth portion 30 is illustrated as having a plurality of non-puncturing indents 50 distributed around the periphery, the purpose of which is to additionally secure the base 24 to the internal materials (glass, plastics, etc.), i.e., beyond the "lock" already achieved by the thread 32.
~ lqs~
s While one embodiment and several variants of this invention have been illustrated in the acconlpall~ing drawings and defined hereinabove, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that changes and m~iflc~tions may be made therein, without departing from the essence of this invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
More specifically, this invention provides an electrically conductive base for alight bulb, the base having an upper portion and a lower portion, the base having an 3 o external thread on said upper portion sized to engage the internal thread of a standard socket, the base further having, adjacently below said external thread, a substantially smooth, unthreaded portion sized to fit snugly but slidably within said internal thread ~ Iq5~ 0 of a standard socket, whereby the base can be mounted in a standard socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause said unthreaded portion to slide along the internal thread of the socket until said external thread encounters the internal thread, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage theinternal thread of the socket.
Additionally, this invention provides an electric light bulb comprising:
a translucent bulb portion, conversion means within the bulb portion for converting electrical energy at least partly into light, and 0 a base eng~ging the bulb portion, the base having, adjacent its engagement with the bulb, an external thread sized to engage the internal thread of a standard socket, the base further having, ~ cent said external thread but remote from thebulb, a substantially smooth, unthreaded portion sized to fit snugly but slidably within said internal thread of a standard socket, whereby the base can be mounted in a standard socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause said unthreaded portion to slide along the internal thread of the socket until said external thread encounters the internal thread, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage the internal thread of the socket.
2 o GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment and several variants of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the standard light bulb, illustrating the2 5 prior art;
Figure 2 is an elevational view of one embodiment of the improved light bulb base, also showing, in section, the configuration of the standard socket with which the improved light bulb (specifically its base) is adapted to cooperate;
Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 show several variants of the Figure 2 configuration, all 3 o taken at the sectional line A-A seen in Figure 2; and Figure 7 is an enlarged, partial, perspective view of the light bulb base seen in Figure 2.
~ lqS8~0 DETAILED DESCR~ION OF THE DRAWINGS
Attention is first directed to Figure 1, which illustrates the main components of the known prior art light bulb. The prior art light bulb is generally shown at the numeral 10 and includes a transparent or tr~nsll~ent glass bulb 12, having a neck portion 14 to which is affixed a base 16 having an external thread 18 of relatively coarse pitch, and a downwardly projecting, electrically in~ tecl central electrode 20.
The disadvantages of this conventional design have already been mentioned, but are set out again in simplified list form:
0 1. It is often 11iffi~ult to orient the standard light bulb axially with respect to the socket, prior to screwing the light bulb in.
2. A large number of complete rotations are required to screw the bulb in.
3. Most light bulbs get very hot, and prolonged contact with hand during unscrewing can be unpleasant.
Attention is now directed to Figure 2, which illustrates the basic format of theimproved light bulb base of this invention.
As will be seen, the improved light bulb base 24 is ~tt~c~l~rl to a standard glass bulb 26 at the neck 28 thereof. The main characteristic which distinguishes the base 24 from the conventional base 16 is the absence of the lower portion of the external 2 o thread, and its replacement with a substantially cylindrical portion 30.
More specifically, the improved base 24 has an upper portion adjacent the bulb 26 and a lower portion below the upper portion. The upper portion exhibits an external thread 32 which is sized so as to be identical with the corresponding upper portion of the conventional external thread, and thus is adapted to engage the internal thread 34 of a standard light bulb socket 25. The base 24 further has, adjacently below the external thread 32, the subst~nti~lly smooth, unthreaded portion 30 mentioned previously. The unthreaded portion 30 is sized to fit snugly but slidably within the internal thread 34 of the standard socket 25.
The construction just described allows the base to be mounted in a standard 3 0 socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause the unthreaded portion 30 to slide inside and along the internal thread 34 of the socket, until the external thread 32 at the top of the improved base 24 encounters the internal thread 34 ,~)/oj5~o of the socket 25, whereupon the base 24 is rotated to cause the external thread 32 to firmly engage the internal thread 34 of the socket.
It will be understood, of course, that the electric light bulb shown in Figure 2has rem~ining portions which are unaffected by the mo~ifir~tion of the present development, but which are nPces~ry in order to allow the light bulb to fulfil its ~unction. Specifically, the light bulb in Figure 2 includes some form of conventional means within the bulb 26 which allows electrical energy to be converted at least partly into light. A typical such conversion means is a filament, specifically a tungsten filament (showing in broken lines at 36 in Figure 2) of which one end is connected o along an electrical lead 38 to the outside surface of the base 24, and of which the other end is connected along the lead 40 to a central electrode 42 at the bottom of the base 24.
In order to improve the grip between the base 24 and the socket 25, the unthreaded, relatively smooth cylindrical portion 30 can be given a slightly elliptical shape, as shown sch~m~tic~lly in Figure 3 by the central ellipse 44 located within a circle 46, the circle 46 represelltin~ the true circularity of the socket 25. Figure 3 is taken at the section line A-A, but it is to be understood that the schem~tic arrangement of Figure 3 shows only the external geometries, and does not include internal conductors, ins~ ting means, etc.
2 o Figures 4, 5 and 6 show, in sCIl~nl~ti( form, the external outline of the smooth portion 30 of the base 24, provided with two, three or four discrete outward protuberances 48, respectively, which are intended to bear resiliently against the internal thread 34 of the socket 25, thus improving the grip between the base 24 and the socket 25.
2 5 It is to be noted that the external thread 32 on the base 24 would normally span at least one full thread convolution. In the embodiment illustrated, the external thread spans approxirnately one and a half full thread convolutions.
In Figure 7, the smooth portion 30 is illustrated as having a plurality of non-puncturing indents 50 distributed around the periphery, the purpose of which is to additionally secure the base 24 to the internal materials (glass, plastics, etc.), i.e., beyond the "lock" already achieved by the thread 32.
~ lqs~
s While one embodiment and several variants of this invention have been illustrated in the acconlpall~ing drawings and defined hereinabove, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that changes and m~iflc~tions may be made therein, without departing from the essence of this invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
Claims (14)
1. An electrically conductive base for a light bulb, the base having an upper portion and a lower portion, the base having an external thread on said upper portion sized to engage the internal thread of a standard socket, the base further having, adjacently below said external thread, a substantially smooth, unthreaded portion sized to fit snugly but slidably within said internal thread of a standard socket, whereby the base can be mounted in a standard socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause said unthreaded portion to slide along the internal thread of the socket until said external thread encounters the internal thread, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage the internal thread of the socket.
2. An electric light bulb comprising:
a translucent bulb portion, conversion means within the bulb portion for converting electrical energy at least partly into light, and a base engaging the bulb portion, the base having, adjacent its engagement with the bulb, an external thread sized to engage the internal thread of a standard socket, the base further having, adjacent said external thread but remote from the bulb, a substantially smooth, unthreaded portion sized to fit snugly but slidably within said internal thread of a standard socket, whereby the base can be mounted in a standard socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause said unthreaded portion to slide along the internal thread of the socket until said external thread encounters the internal thread, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage the internal thread of the socket.
a translucent bulb portion, conversion means within the bulb portion for converting electrical energy at least partly into light, and a base engaging the bulb portion, the base having, adjacent its engagement with the bulb, an external thread sized to engage the internal thread of a standard socket, the base further having, adjacent said external thread but remote from the bulb, a substantially smooth, unthreaded portion sized to fit snugly but slidably within said internal thread of a standard socket, whereby the base can be mounted in a standard socket by being first shoved into the socket without rotation to cause said unthreaded portion to slide along the internal thread of the socket until said external thread encounters the internal thread, whereupon the base is rotated to cause the external thread to engage the internal thread of the socket.
3. The light bulb base claimed in claim 1, in which said unthreaded portion has the configuration of a substantially circular cylinder.
4. The light bulb base claimed in claim 1, in which said unthreaded portion has substantially the configuration of a slightly elliptical cylinder.
5. The light bulb base claimed in claim 1, in which said unthreaded portion has substantially the configuration of a substantially circular cylinder with discrete irregularities in the form of outward protuberances intended to bear resiliently against said internal thread, thus improving the grip between the base and the socket.
6. The light bulb in claim 2, in which said unthreaded portion has substantially the configuration of a substantially circular cylinder.
7. The light bulb claimed in claim 2, in which said unthreaded portion has substantially the configuration of a slightly elliptical cylinder.
8. The light bulb claimed in claim 2, in which said unthreaded portion has substantially the configuration of a substantially circular cylinder with discrete irregularities in the form of outward protuberances intended to bear resiliently against said internal thread, thus improving the grip between the base and the socket.
9. The light bulb base claimed in claim 1, in which said external thread includes at least one full thread convolution.
10. The light bulb base claimed in claim 1, in which said external thread includes at least one and a half full thread convolutions.
11. The light bulb claimed in claim 2, in which said external thread includes at least one full thread convolution.
12. The light bulb claimed in claim 2, in which said external thread includes at least one and a half full thread convolutions.
13. The light bulb claimed in claim 2, in which the conversion means includes atungsten wire filament.
14. The light bulb claimed in claim 2, in which said unthreaded portion has a plurality of non-puncturing indents to assist in locking the base with respect to the internal materials.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US59094896A | 1996-01-24 | 1996-01-24 | |
| US08/590,948 | 1996-01-24 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2195820A1 true CA2195820A1 (en) | 1997-07-25 |
Family
ID=24364398
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2195820 Abandoned CA2195820A1 (en) | 1996-01-24 | 1997-01-23 | Light bulb base |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2195820A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2309595A (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU1527899A (en) * | 1997-12-01 | 1999-06-16 | Forrest A. Marshall | Light bulb base |
| US5990606A (en) * | 1997-12-01 | 1999-11-23 | Ross; David C. | Light bulb base having an enlarging external thread |
| CN102804323A (en) * | 2010-02-05 | 2012-11-28 | 迪斯普拉斯有限责任公司 | Method for securing the base of an electric lamp and electric lamp with a base secured by this method |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3676835A (en) * | 1971-02-01 | 1972-07-11 | Hollymatic Corp | Electrical connector |
| GB2116279A (en) * | 1981-08-20 | 1983-09-21 | Ferranti Ltd | Aligning screw threaded fasteners |
| US4778409A (en) * | 1986-12-24 | 1988-10-18 | Noma Inc. | Screw in lamp holder |
-
1997
- 1997-01-23 CA CA 2195820 patent/CA2195820A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1997-01-24 GB GB9701419A patent/GB2309595A/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9701419D0 (en) | 1997-03-12 |
| GB2309595A (en) | 1997-07-30 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |