Plug and socket connections

• US 3,912,355 A
• Filed: 11/24/1972
• Issued: 10/14/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Engineered Components, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Leonard J. Greshel, Leonard L. Curado, Paul A. Sorensen
• Inventors: Curado, Leonard L., Greshel, Leonard J., Sorensen, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Richard E.
• Application Number:
  US05/309,021
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 339/88,93,127,128,217S 248/27 24/73
• US Class Current: 439/546
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/006 of point-like light sources, e.g. incandescent or halogen lamps, with screw-threaded or bayonet base of sources having contact pins, wires or blades F21V19/0005; of LEDs or sources mounted on printed-circuit board F21V19/001

Abstract

A lamp holder having a plug for engagement in a socket having a plug receiving opening and a plurality of notches communicating with said opening and spaced about the periphery thereof. The leading end of the plug carries a plurality of spaced lugs disposed in cooperating pairs. One lug of each pair is rigid and the other lug is relatively highly flexible. The rigid lug carries an overhanging tang for engaging behind the wall of the socket and the cooperating pairs of lugs are provided with camming surfaces. Upon axial insertion of the plug into the socket aperture and the lugs into the notches, the edges of the notches engage the camming surfaces and automatically rotatably index the plug into a position wherein the overhanging tangs on the rigid lugs locate behind the remote wall of the socket.

Claims

1. A plug and socket plate combination comprising a socket plate having a central opening and a plurality of peripherally spaced notches communicating with and extending radially outwardly from said central opening and having circumferentially spaced end walls, said plug having a body portion, a radial flange on said body portion for overlying one side of said socket plate, and a plurality of lugs joined to said flange and projecting axially therefrom, said lugs being disposed in circumferentially spaced, cooperating pairs, one lug of each pair being rigidly joined to said flange and having a tang extending circumferentially therefrom in a direction away from the other lug of the pair, said tang being axially spaced from said flange to provide a socket plate engaging shoulder, the other lug of each pair being carried on the end of a resilient arm which is connected to the rigid lug of the next adjacent of said pairs of lugs, each of said pairs of lugs having oppositely facing, circumferentially disposed cam surfaces which engage said end walls of said notches responsive to axial insertion of said plug into said socket plate to automatically rotatably index said plug into a position whereiN said shoulders defined by said tangs on said rigid lugs overlie the other surface of said socket plate to retain the plug in assembly with said socket plate.

2. A plug and socket plate combination according to claim 1 wherein the body portion of said plug is generally tubular in configuration and carries an electric lamp bulb holder therein.