Socket structure with slidable insulative disk formed in longitudinal grooves for shock hazard protection

• US 5,670,847 A
• Filed: 11/06/1996
• Issued: 09/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lin, Chiu-Yuan
• Original Assignee: Lin, Chiu-Yuan
• Inventors: Lin, Chiu-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHINGLETON, MICHAEL B
• Application Number:
  US08/744,583
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 315/185 S, 315/324, 439/242, 439/243, 439/244, 439/699.2, 439/661, 439/662, 439/665, 439/664, 439/666, 439/667, 439/660
• US Class Current: 315/185.00S
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4534 Laterally sliding shutter
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4538 Covers sliding or withdrawing in the direction of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/68 with built-in fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/22 for screw type base, e.g. for lamp

Abstract

A Christmas tree light system including an electrical receptacle connected to power supply, and electrical wire having an electrical plug at one end connected to the electrical receptacle, and a plurality of lamp sockets respectively connected to the electrical wire to hold a respective bulb, wherein each lamp socket has an insulative plate supported on a spring member and forced upwards by it to disconnect a metal connecting plate from the center metal contact plate, which is adapted for contacting the tip contact of the bulb; the electrical plug has a cartridge fuse for overload protection, and protective means for shielding the conducting blades of the cartridge fuse; the electrical receptacle has movable stop means forced by spring means to block the way between the blade insertion slots and the electrical terminals.

Claims

1. A Christmas tree light system comprising an electrical receptacle connected to power supply, and electrical wire having an electrical plug at one end connected to said electrical receptacle, and a plurality of lamp sockets respectively connected to said electrical wire to hold a respective bulb, wherein:

each of said electrical sockets comprises a hollow, cylindrical, cup-like shell socket body, a rubber ring, a socket cap, a spring member, a circular insulative plate, a gasket ring, a first metal contact plate, a second metal contact plate, and a metal connecting plate, said socket body comprising a plurality of threads on the inside adapted for receiving a bulb, a plurality of longitudinal sliding grooves equiangularly spaced on the inside and intersecting said threads, a plurality of transverse stop ribs respectively disposed in said longitudinal sliding grooves in the middle, an annular step on the inside above said threads and adapted for receiving said gasket ring, a bottom wall, a through hole through said bottom wall, a circular bottom chamber, a transverse wire groove on said bottom wall in communication with said circular bottom chamber for receiving said electrical wire, and two retaining notches disposed in said bottom wall within said circular bottom chamber and separated by said transverse wire groove, said first metal contact plate having an elongated contact body longitudinally mounted inside said socket body and adapted for contacting the ring contact of the corresponding bulb, and a pointed tip partially projecting into said transverse wire groove, said second metal contact plate being mounted in the through hole through said bottom wall and suspended above said bottom wall for contacting the tip contact of the corresponding bulb and having a pointed tip partially projecting into said transverse wire groove, said rubber ring being mounted within the circular bottom chamber of said socket body, said socket cap being fitted into the circular bottom chamber of said socket body to hold down said rubber ring and said electrical wire, permitting the pointed tips of said first metal contact plate and said second metal contact plate to be respectively forced to cut into said electrical wire and to make contact with a respective conductor in said electrical wire, said socket cap comprising a plurality of upright press blocks fitted into said transverse wire groove of said socket body and pressed on said electrical wire and said rubber ring, two upright hooks respectively hooked in the retaining notches of said socket body, and a clip raised from the periphery of fastening, said circular insulative plate being mounted inside said socket body and supported on said spring member above the bottom wall of said socket body, having a plurality of upright mounting legs raised from the periphery and respectively forced into the longitudinal sliding grooves of said socket body and stopped below the transverse stop ribs of said socket body, a center through hole adapted for receiving the tip contact of the corresponding bulb, and a bottom channel adapted for receiving said metal connecting plate, said metal connecting plate being mounted in the bottom channel of said circular insulative plate and covered over the center through hole of said circular insulative plate for contacting the tip contact of the corresponding bulb, said circular insulative plate being lowered to compress said spring member and to force said metal connecting plate into contact with said second metal contact plate when the corresponding bulb is threaded into said socket body;

said electrical plug comprises a positive metal contact blade and a negative metal contact plate respectively extended out of a front side thereof, a fuse holder on the inside, a cartridge fuse loaded in said fuse holder and connected between said positive metal contact blade and one conductor of said electrical wire, a longitudinal sliding groove above said fuse holder, two symmetrical pairs of raised portions bilaterally projecting into said longitudinal sliding groove near two opposite ends, and a sliding cover plate slidably mounted in said longitudinal sliding groove to close said fuse holder and having two symmetrical pairs of raised portions at two opposite lateral sides respectively forced into engagement with the raised portions in said longitudinal sliding groove, said fuse holder having a protective flange at one end adapted for protecting one conducting blade of said cartridge fuse.

2. The Christmas tree light system of claim 1 wherein said spring member is compression spring.

3. The Christmas tree light system of claim 1 wherein said spring member is a curved spring plate.

4. The Christmas tree light system of claim 1 wherein said electrical receptacle comprises an insulative base having a vertical stop wall at one end and two blade insertion slots in said vertical stop wall and a transverse chamber adjacent to said vertical stop wall, two terminals longitudinally and bilaterally mounted in said base and partially projecting into said transverse chamber, two substantially arched stop blocks mounted in said transverse chamber, and a spring member mounted in said transverse chamber and connected between said stop blocks, and an insulative cover shell covered around said base, said two stop blocks being forced outwards in reversed directions by the spring member of said electrical receptacle to separate said terminals from said blade insertion slots, said stop blocks being forced inwards toward each other against the spring member of said electrical receptacle for permitting the metal contact blades of said electrical plug to be forced into contact with said terminals when the metal contact blades of said electrical plug are respectively inserted into said blade insertion slots of said electrical receptacle.

5. The Christmas tree light system of claim 1 wherein said electrical receptacle comprises a base having a vertical stop wall and two blade insertion slots in said vertical stop wall, a substantially T-shaped partition plate fixedly mounted in said base and having two through holes respectively aligned between said blade insertion slots and said terminals, a substantially U-shaped movable stop member mounted in said base between said vertical stop wall and said T-shaped partition plate and having two upright blocks at two opposite ends, and a spring stopped between a part of said T-shaped partition plate and one upright blocks of said movable stop member, the upright blocks of said movable stop member being forced by the spring force of the spring of said electrical receptacle into the way between said blade insertion slots and the through holes of said partition plate, said movable stop member being forced sideways to compriess the spring of said electrical receptacle when the metal contact plates of said electrical plug are respectively inserted into said blade insertion slots, for permitting the metal contact blades of said electrical receptacle to be forced forwards through the through holes of said movable stop member into contact with said terminals respectively.