Contact-safe base-and-socket system for lighting fixtures

Details Contact-safe base-and-socket system for lighting fixtures Contact-safe base-and-socket system for lighting fixtures

1999-06-23

2001-06-26

Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With guiding means for mating of coupling part

Rodlike guide member extending in coupling direction or...

C439S356000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06250947

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electric lamps or light bulbs are typically equipped with either threaded Edison sockets or bayonet sockets, both of which present a risk of electrical shock. Contact-hazardous Edison screw sockets and bayonet sockets are accepted worldwide only because hitherto there was not available on the market any completely contact-safe base-and-socket systems which met all international requirements. However, the advent of German patent application 197 06 905.3, (whose U.S. counterpart is U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,249) which describes a faultless construction, has engendered renewed interest in averting this ever present danger.
Any new socket system should be simple, convenient and user-friendly. While lamps equipped with pin-type connectors have been proposed, such lamps present a problem of aligning the pins to the correct plug-in position in a pin socket.
Also the erroneous use of unsuitable lamps for a certain lighting fixture should be avoided. For this, coding measurements should be developed to prevent the use of an incorrect lamp (e.g., a bulb having an improper rating).
The problem of the invention is to fulfill both wishes by a single constructive recommendation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a solution to the above problems it is proposed to provided guide profiles on both the base of the lamp and on the corresponding lamp socket which fit in closed form with one another only in certain positions. Only when the lamp is aligned in the correct position can the lamp with its base be inserted into the socket. This position or positions are given by the correct connecting of the pins of the base with the corresponding contacts of the socket.
It is appropriate to arrange the guide profiles in the center of the base. Locating the guide in this position makes it possible, too, to provide at the ends of the guide profiles a centering projection that permits a rotary movement of the base while installing the lamp. The centering projection facilitates alignment of the apparatus so that the pins of the lamp base agree with the appropriate counter-contacts of the lamp socket.
The closed-form construction of the guide profiles simultaneously renders possible a coding of the socket in order to avoid the careless installing of unsuitable lamps.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2343675 (1944-03-01), Kenyon
patent: 4667270 (1987-05-01), Yagi
patent: 5800183 (1998-09-01), Paul et al.
patent: 6033249 (2000-03-01), Holzer

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