Threadless light bulb socket

• US 8,668,504 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ken Smith
• Original Assignee: Dave Smith Chevrolet Oldsmobile Pontiac Cadillac, Inc.
• Inventors: Cofini, Michael Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Prasad, Chandrika
• Application Number:
  US13/540,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 439101-108, 439/188, 439/642
• US Class Current: 439/101
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6276 comprising one or more balls engaging in a hole or a groove
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/0836 characterised by the lamp holding means
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/22 for screw type base, e.g. for lamp

Abstract

A threadless light socket assembly allows a light bulb to be changed by pushing or pulling the light bulb into or out of the socket provides an outer insulator housing and an insulator cap which carrying a ground socket in a medial channel that grounds a light bulb base to a power supply. Plural spring biased thread locks protrude into center of the ground socket and are staggered in height to align with threads defined in a light bulb base. A positive contact is in the socket assembly supplies positive power from a power supply to the light bulb base. The threadless light socket has interchangeable components to allow installation in new and existing light fixtures.

Claims

1. A threadless light bulb socket for releasable non-rotational engagement with a threaded base of a light bulb comprising:

an insulator housing of electrically insulative material having a top portion defining an opening, a bottom portion, an outer circumferential surface and defining a housing channel communicating between the top portion and the bottom portion;

an electrically conductive ground socket carried within the housing channel of the insulator housing and defining a medial chamber communicating with the opening defined in the insulator housing and having an outer circumferential surface, an inner circumferential surface, and communicating with a ground lead wire;

a ground socket spring housing having an outer end proximate the outer circumferential surface of the ground socket, a thread lock seat proximate the inner circumferential surface of the ground socket and defining a medial channel communicating between the outer end and the thread lock seat;

a thread lock and a biasing spring carried in the medial channel of the spring housing to bias the thread lock toward the thread lock seat and partially into the medial chamber of the ground socket to communicate with an electric terminal of the threaded base of the light bulb; and

a cap fastened to the bottom portion of the insulator housing to enclose the ground socket within the medial chamber, the cap carrying a positive terminal contact to electrically communicate with the threaded base of the light bulb and a positive lead wire.

2. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the spring housings are defined spacedly arrayed in the ground socket and extend between the outer circumferential surface of the ground socket and the inner circumferential surface of the ground socket.

3. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

the thread lock is an electrically conductive sphere.

4. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

the ground socket slides axially into the housing channel defined by the insulator housing.

5. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

the biasing spring may be removed and replaced with another biasing spring to one of increase and decrease radial pressure exerted on the thread lock and the threaded base of the light bulb.

6. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein the ground socket comprises a plurality of the spring housings which are structurally secured to the outer circumferential surface of the ground socket in a spaced array.

7. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein the ground socket comprises a plurality of the spring housings which are defined in the outer circumferential surface of the ground socket in a spaced array and communicate between the outer circumferential surface of the ground socket and the inner circumferential surface of the ground socket.

8. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

the cap is configured to provide attachment of the threadless light bulb socket to a light fixture.

9. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

an inner circumferential surface of the insulator housing defines a biasing spring seat that frictionally communicates with the outer end of the spring housing and retains the thread lock and biasing spring within the medial channel of the spring housing.

10. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 further comprising:

a releasable mount carried on the cap to mount the threadless light bulb socket to a light fixture.

11. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 further comprising:

a mount carried on the cap to mount the threadless light bulb socket to an adjacent surface.

12. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

insertion of the threaded base of the light bulb through the opening defined in the insulator housing and into the medial chamber of the ground socket overcomes the biasing of the thread lock by the biasing spring causing the thread lock to move radially away from the thread lock seat and into the medial channel defined by the spring housing.

13. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

the biasing spring exerts radial inward pressure on the thread lock forcing the thread lock into a concave depression formed in the threaded base of the light bulb carried within the medial chamber of the ground socket.

14. The threadless light bulb socket of claim 1 wherein:

a plurality of the spring housings are spacedly arrayed radially about the ground socket and spacedly arrayed vertically about the ground socket.