Electrical connectors – With or having flexible guard or support for cable or conductor – Resilient
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-18
2002-07-09
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With or having flexible guard or support for cable or conductor
Resilient
C439S465000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06416351
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a power supply cord positioning device for a lighting unit, more particularly to a positioning device for securing a power supply cord inserted into a lighting unit, which ensures water-tightness and which can accommodate thermal expansion of a plastic shell of the lighting unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
With reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a conventional lighting unit
1
, such as a night lamp, is electrically connected to a power supply source via a power supply cord
11
, and generally includes a plastic, light transmissive shell
12
and a power supply cord jacket
13
. The shell
12
includes left and right shell halves
122
,
121
which mate with each other to cooperatively confine a light bulb receiving chamber. One side of the shell
12
is provided with an outer mounting wall
123
. An inner mounting wall
124
is disposed inwardly of and parallel to the outer mounting wall
123
. The outer mounting wall
123
is formed with a transverse outer hole
125
. The inner mounting wall
124
is formed with an inner hole
126
corresponding to the outer hole
125
. The power supply cord jacket
13
is mounted in the outer and inner holes
125
,
126
, and includes a surrounding jacket wall
131
that defines a transverse cord hole
132
for passage of the power supply cord
11
. The surrounding jacket wall
131
includes a clamped section
133
that is clamped between the outer and inner holes
125
,
126
, an enlarged inner positioning section
134
that extends from one end of the clamped section
133
toward the shell
12
, and an enlarged outer positioning section
135
that extends from the other end of the clamped section
133
outwardly of the outer mounting wall
123
so as to abut against the latter. In other words, the clamped section
133
has a surrounding wall
136
with a width or diameter that is reduced with respect to the inner and outer positioning sections
134
,
135
.
In order to ensure water-tightness of the lighting unit
1
, the surrounding wall
136
of the power supply cord jacket
13
is in tight fit with the inner and outer holes
126
,
125
in the shell
12
. Therefore, when the power supply cord jacket
13
is installed on the shell
12
, the tight fit between the surrounding wall
136
and the inner and outer holes
126
,
125
prevents entry of water vapor into the receiving chamber within the shell
12
. Nonetheless, since the plastic shell
12
may expand or contract under temperature influences and may age with the passage of time, and under the circumstance that the power supply cord jacket
13
and the shell
12
are in tight fit, the shell
12
may easily crack, thereby affecting the water-tightness effect of the lighting unit
1
. If dampness gains entry into the receiving chamber of the shell
12
, corrosion and short circuit may occur. The service life of the lighting unit
1
may also be shortened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a positioning device for securing a power supply cord inserted into a lighting unit, which ensures water-tightness and which can accommodate thermal expansion of a plastic shell of the lighting unit.
Accordingly, a positioning device of the present invention is adapted for securing a power supply cord inserted into a lighting unit which includes a light transmissive shell confining an accommodation chamber and having a lower inner peripheral edge portion which defines a lower opening to communicate with the accommodation chamber. A lighting source is disposed in the accommodation chamber and is electrically connected to the power supply cord. The positioning device includes a bottom wall with a periphery, a surrounding wall, a tubular insert member, and a bracing member. The surrounding wall extends from the periphery in an upright direction, and is adapted to be integrally formed with the lower inner peripheral edge portion of the shell to close the accommodation chamber water-tightly. The surrounding wall includes a mounting wall area which has outer and inner mounting wall surfaces opposite to each other in a first transverse direction transverse to the upright direction. The mounting wall area includes left and right lateral edge portions that are separated along a split line extending in the upright direction and that are in water-tight and detachable engagement with each other. The left and right lateral edge portions respectively include left and right abutment wall surfaces which face each other in a second transverse direction transverse to both the upright direction and the first transverse direction, and which extend respectively in the first transverse direction to interconnect the outer and inner mounting wall surfaces. The left and right abutment wall surfaces respectively have left and right cutout portions which cooperate to form an inner surrounding clamping wall surface that confines an insert hole. The insert hole is of a first dimension and extends in the first transverse direction to communicate the outer and inner mounting wall surfaces. The inner surrounding clamping wall surface has inner left and right clamping wall segments which respectively extend inwardly and in the second transverse direction from the left and right abutment wall surfaces. The insert member includes outer and inner tubular wall surfaces opposite to each other in radial directions. The inner tubular wall surface is adapted to wrap around and to bring the power supply cord into the lighting unit. The outer tubular wall surface includes: a surrounding neck segment which has front and rear surrounding end portions opposite to each other in the first transverse direction and which is disposed to be surrounded by, and spaced apart from the inner surrounding clamping wall surface by a surrounding clearance which is of such a dimension as to accommodate thermal expansion of the mounting wall area and to form, as a result of surface tension of an initial water vapor trapped therein, a moisture barrier against intrusion of water vapor; an enlarged surrounding head segment extending from the rear surrounding end portion in the first transverse direction and inwardly of the inner mounting wall surface so as to abut against the inner mounting wall surface; and a surrounding abutment segment extending from the front surrounding end portion in the first transverse direction and outwardly of the outer mounting wall surface so as to abut against the outer mounting wall surface. The bracing member is disposed between the inner surrounding clamping wall surface and the neck segment of the insert member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3665374 (1972-05-01), Denton
patent: 3858160 (1974-12-01), Denton
patent: 5295859 (1994-03-01), Kawai et al.
patent: 5586916 (1996-12-01), Shinji et al.
patent: 5588870 (1996-12-01), Boteler et al.
patent: 6050847 (2000-04-01), Kawakami et al.
patent: 6068506 (2000-05-01), Shen
patent: 6155866 (2000-12-01), Liu et al.
Chen Chi-Wen
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Paumen Gary
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