Halogen lamp

Details Halogen lamp Halogen lamp

1999-01-29

2001-02-06

O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)

Illumination

Light source and modifier

Adjustable or repositionable light source or light source...

C362S263000, C362S375000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06183113

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In known lamps, especially halogen lamps with a small-diameter housing, it is often difficult for the fingers to grip the halogen bulb seated in the housing and to unscrew it from the socket. It can be equally difficult to install a new halogen bulb.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A rod-shaped lamp with miniature incandescent bulbs for insertion in a motor vehicle is known from German Patent GB 2,313,183. The light exit opening of the lamp is closed off by a lens, which is snap-fitted in the lamp housing. The lens can thus be pulled off the housing, whereupon the incandescent bulb together with its socket and a helical spring which pushes the socket toward the light exit opening can be removed from the housing. The bulb and the various parts can also simply fall out. This can lead to a difficult search and possibly to the loss of individual parts in situations where visibility is poor. When the lens is removed from the housing, which will obviously occur abruptly because of the snap-in fit, the sudden relaxation of the spring can also cause the entire assembly of spring, socket, and bulb to jump out of the housing.
In the case of a halogen lamp in which the bulb is always seated in a reflector, the object of the invention is to provide a device for facilitating the replacement of the bulb but which is also designed reliably to prevent the parts from falling out of the housing when the clamping ring or light exit lens is removed from the housing. Thus, the assembly comprises a housing provided with a light exit opening and a halogen bulb installed in the housing and means supporting the halogen bulb so that it can slide axially in the housing and is biased by spring means biases the bulb in the direction of the light exit opening. The halogen bulb lamp is pushed back against the force of the spring means into a rear position inside the housing by a clamping ring removably attached to the forward edge of the bulb, whereby upon removal of the clamping ring from the housing. The halogen bulb is pushed by said spring means into a forward position wherein its front edge projects out of the housing. A socket holds the halogen bulb attached to a socket clip, which is supported on two pins so that it can slide in the axial direction of the housing. At least one pin being surrounded by a helical spring means, which is held between a rear housing stop and the rear surface of the socket clip. The forward position of the halogen bulb is defined by at least one stop.
Accordingly, when the clamping ring is removed from the housing, the halogen bulb is pushed automatically by the spring or springs toward the front into a forward position precisely defined by one or more stops, in which position it projects out from the forward end of the housing and can be gripped by the hand and removed from its socket. All the internal parts of the lamp are held just as reliably in this forward position as they are in the rear position after the clamping ring has been put back into place. The socket of the bulb is attached to a special socket clip, which is supported in sliding fashion on parallel pins. Upon removal of the clamping ring, the one or two helical springs, which surround the pins, produce the forward movement of the socket clip and thus push the halogen bulb out until it reaches the forward position mentioned above. No special measures for holding the sliding parts in their rear position in the housing after the clamping ring has been put in place are required, because the inside surface of the ring can rest directly against the forward outer edge of the reflector of the halogen bulb.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, two helical springs and two stops are provided to improve the centering.
In accordance with still another feature of the present invention, the pins are elastic whereby, the elastic deflection of the pins allows the socket clip to bypass the stops so that it can be removed completely from the housing.


REFERENCES:
patent: 1086303 (1914-02-01), Moran
patent: 2804539 (1957-08-01), Robbins
patent: 4414616 (1983-11-01), De Vos et al.
patent: 4450508 (1984-05-01), Carley
patent: 5758959 (1998-06-01), Sieczkowski
patent: 5957571 (1999-09-01), Koster et al.
patent: 4121575C1 (1991-06-01), None
patent: 2313183 (1995-05-01), None

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