Light sensitive lamp adapter

• US 4,023,035 A
• Filed: 12/12/1974
• Issued: 05/10/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lamson & Sessions Company (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Edward T.
• Primary Examiner(s): La Roche, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US05/531,911
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 250/239, 250/214 AL, 315/149, 315/159, 315/194, 315/200, 315/DIG. 4, 317/124, 313/51, 240/DIG. 6
• US Class Current: 250/239
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/0065 at least one conductive element acting as a support means, e.g. spring-mounted contact plate in a bayonet base
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/9453 for screw type coupling devices

Abstract

A light-sensitive lamp adaptor is small enough to fit in most indoor or outdoor lamps between the lamp socket and the light bulb. The adapter contains a solid state electronic circuit including a photocell which is in good thermal contact with the thermally conductive base of the adapter so that these electrical components are not heated excessively. A small window in the side of the adapter is movable about the axis of the adapter so that the photocell will respond only to light incident on the window from a given direction and the size of the window can be adjusted so that the unit will respond only to light of a given intensity.

Claims

1. A light-sensitive lamp adapter comprising

A. an opaque housing having first and second ends and a first cavity opening into the first end,

B. a lamp socket shell positioned in said cavity,

C. a lamp base having a base shell and secured to the second end,

D. means electrically interconnecting the shells,

E. first and second center contacts in the bottoms of said socket and base shells, respectively,

F. means defining a plurality of fixed windows in the housing distributed in a circle all around the longitudinal axis of the housing, at least one said window being separated from an adjacent window by an area of said opaque housing,

G. a switch in the housing connected for conduction between the center contacts,

H. a photocell positioned in the housing adjacent the fixed windows and fixed to said housing, said photocell aligned to be illuminated by light from any direction about the longitudinal axis of said housing, for controlling the switch so that the switch turns on or off depending upon the intensity of the light incident on the photocell, and

I. movable window means rotatively mounted on the housing for movement in a circle all around said axis for selective alignment with any one of the fixed windows so that ambient light from any given direction can be incident on the photocell, the area of said movable window being no greater than said opaque housing area so that when said movable window is aligned with said opaque area no light reaches said photocell.