ONE-PIECE SOCKET FOR DECORATIVE LIGHT

• US 3,660,801 A
• Filed: 01/11/1971
• Issued: 05/02/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NOMA International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bernard Paulfus
• Inventors: Paulfus, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): McGlynn, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US05/105,399
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 339/97,99,157,199
• US Class Current: 439/419
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/002 making direct electrical contact, e.g. by piercing F21V21/35 takes precedence

Abstract

A one-piece socket for a decorative light, such as a Christmas tree light, is provided. The socket is of the pin-tap terminal type and employs a pair of resilient gripper arms at the base of the socket which are adapted to flex apart to accommodate an electrical wire and to retain the wire in firm connection with the pin-tap terminals when the wire is positioned in a wire receiving channel defined by the arms. The arms are formed with guide surfaces which direct the wire into the channel and which also aid in spreading the arms apart when the wire is forced thereagainst so as to facilitate the positioning of the wire in the channel.

Claims

1. A one-piece socket particularly suited for use in a Christmas tree light assembly comprising, a socket body having a central cavity therein adapted to receive and retain an electric light bulb, said socket body having a channel formed in proximity to the base thereof for receiving a wire;

a pair of connectors positioned in the socket body with respect to the central cavity so as to engage the bulb in electrical connection therewith, each of said connectors having a pin-tap terminal end projecting into the channel;

a pair of resilient gripper arms formed integrally with the socket body and defining at least a portion of said channel, said arms being adapted to flex apart so as to permit a wire to be moved into the channel and into connection with the pin-tap terminals, and being further adapted to return to a normal position and to thereby capture and hold the wire firmly in position in connection with the terminals, said arms being formed with guide surfaces at the base end thereof for receiving the wire prior to its entry into the channel and for guiding the wire into the channel such that upon application of a force against the surfaces via the wire, the arms flex apart and permit the wire to enter the channel and contact the pin-tap terminals.

2. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 1, in which the guide surfaces face each other to define a trough-like region at the base of the socket.

3. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 2 in which the trough-like region extends axially in the same direction as the channel.

4. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 1 in which the guide surfaces are convexly curved.

5. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 1 in which the guide surfaces face each other and converge at an apex angle within the range of from about 15* to about 165* .

6. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 1 in which the guide surfaces of the gripper arms terminate at a ledge which defines one boundary of the channel.

7. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 1 made of a plastic material.

8. A one-piece socket particularly suited for use in a Christmas tree light assembly, comprising a one-piece plastic body having a central cylindrical cavity therein adapted to receive an electric light bulb;

means in the cavity for retaining the light bulb in position therein;

a pair of resilient gripper arms formed integrally with the socket body and extending therefrom said gripper arms defining, at least in part, a channel in the socket body through which an electric wire can be threaded, said arms each having a re-entrant facing portion, each forming closely spaced ledge portions defining a wall of the channel;

each of said gripper arms also having an outwardly facing convexly curved guide surface, which surfaces together define a notch-like trough axially aligned with the channel, said surfaces being adapted to receive and guide a wire into position in the channel upon application of a force via the wire toward the channel such that the arms flex outwardly away from each other to permit the wire to pass between and past the ledge portions, the gripper arms thereupon returning to their normal position and said ledge portions thereupon capturing the wire in the channel;

a pair of pin-tap connectors embedded in the socket body and having pointed terminal ends projecting into the channel in off-set positions so as to engage both metal cores of the wire, one of said pin-tap connectors extending into a central region in the socket body so as to contact the bottom tip of a bulb and the other of the connectors engaging another portion of the bulb.

9. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 8 in which the socket body has a passage connecting the central cavity and the channel, and in which the connector which engages the bulb tip extends into this passage.

10. A one-piece socket in accordance with claim 8 including a retainer member formed on the socket body for engaging a support such as a branch of a Christmas tree to hold the socket in position.