US2243775A - Electric lamp standard - Google Patents

Description

y 1941- P. B. ROBERTS 2,243,775

ELECTRIC LAMP STANDARD Filed June 24, 1940 MVE/VTOB P/l/u 8. P035? T5 Patented May 27, 1941 ELECTRIC LAlVH STANDARD Philip Barker Roberts, London, England Application June 24, 1940, Serial No. 342,187 In Great Britain December 9, 1938 3 Claims.

This invention relates to electric standard and table lamps and pendant, wall and like electric lamp fittings, and the invention has in view to conveniently employ any suitable known kind of metal-sheathed self-supporting cable to form a substantially rigid column or bracket and to arrange for same to directly carry a lampholder in a stable manner. The invention thus aims at providing a standard, table lamp or pendant, wall or like fitting which is capable of cheaper production than ordinary lamps and fittings which embody a tubular support or bracket and separate wiring passing through such tubular member, and, moreover, obviates difiiculties experienced in fitting such wiring. Further, the in vention provides a standard or fitting which is so constructed that there is no fear of the lampholder being twisted with respect to the standard or fitting or of the wiring becoming twisted and damaged in consequence.

According to the invention, there is provided an electric standard or table lamp or pendant, wall or like fitting having a column, bracket or the equivalent constituted by a length of metal-sheathed self-supporting cable, and wherein a lampholder,

to which the conductors of the cable are connected or a carrier for a set of lamps embodying a connector block, has a base or casing directly and permanently secured to, or formed integral with the sheath of said cable at one end thereof, means being provided at the other end of said cable for connecting the conductors of the cable to a source of supply, such as external mains or a battery accommodated in a hollow supporting foot.

Preferably, the column, bracket or the equivalent is supported by means of a base or wall or ceiling plate directly and permanently secured to the sheath of the cable at the end thereof which is remote from the lampholder, means being provided, which is secured or adapted to lie behind the said plate, for connectin protruding ends of the cable conductors to supply leads. Alternatively, the cable may be bent into a coiled, scrolled or other form such as to form a supporting foot or attachment base, and in this case an electrical connecting member of any convenient form is attached to the free end of the cable, preferably by welding a part thereof to the cable sheath. Preferably, the securing of the lampholder or casing to the cable consists in welding the former to the sheath of the latter.

A standard or table lamp constructed according to a practical embodiment of the invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawing which is a vertical section through such lamp.

The column I of the fitting consists of a length of metal-sheathed self-supporting cable. This cable is of the kind in which the conductors 2 are embedded in an insulator filling 3, consisting of a highly compressed mineral substance such as magnesium oxide contained within a round tubular sheath 4 generally made of copper.

The fitting is constructed by cutting away end portions of the sheath 4 and insulation 3 so that the conductors 2 protrude to the required extent at the respective ends of the cable. To the sheath 4 are welded (e. g. by brazing) at the respective ends of the cable a sleeve 5 forming the neck of a metal lampholder base 6, and a sleeve I upstanding from a metal supporting base plate 8. The relative dispositions of the parts is such that portions of said sleeves 5 and I extend beyond the adjacent ends of the cable.

The ends of the conductors projecting at the upper end of the cable are now bent to such a shape as to be capable of sliding into passages 9 of the conventional lampholder body I0, but before fitting said body I!) in position there is poured into the lampholder base 6 a quantity of molten resinous or similar substance I I sufficient to fill the space within the sleeve 5 which exists beyond the cable. This substance is to be of such a nature as to bind solid to the cable filling 3 and to set when cold. There is next filled into the base member 6 a quantity of a bituminous compound or other water-resisting plastic substance I2 sufficient to occupy substantially the Whole of the space remaining in said member 6 up to the level of a seating for the body member I0. Said body member I0 and the usual bayonet or screw socket piece I3 are then fitted in place.

The space which exists beneath the lower end of the cable and within the sleeve 1 is now filled with a resinous or similar substance I4 having the same nature and function as the substance II aforesaid. The lower ends of the conductors which protrude beyond the substance I4 are fitted into terminals I5 of a connector block I6 which serves to connect them to external leads IT. The block I6 may or may not be fixed to the plate 8. The sleeve 1 instead of upstanding from the plate 8 may depend therefrom.

In the arrangement shown, the plate 8 constitutes the supporting foot of a standard or table lamp but same can equally well serve as a wall plate for a wall fitting or a ceiling plate for a pendant fitting. Whatever arrangement is adopted, the cable serves as a substantially rigid column or bracket, and, instead of being straight, as shown, said cable may be bent into a swanneck or other desired shape.

The invention also contemplates the use of cable similar to that above described but employing more than two conductors, in which case the body member I will be provided with a corresponding number of terminals, and, instead of carrying lamp-engaging pins, will constitute a connector block for flexible or other leads which pass to different lampholders of a set thereof suitably rigidly supported from the base member 6. This provides for independent control of the lamps by external switches.

In the case where a set of lamps is to be supported, each of the branches carrying a lamp may consist of a length of self-supporting metalsheathed cable constructed as herein described with respect to the main column I which supports said branches, and having its associated lampholder permanently attached to or formed integral with its metal sheathing. In such an arrangement, the main column I carries a junction head having its base permanently secured to or formed integral with the sheath of the main column I, and said junction head may be provided with bayonet or other sockets for connection of the branches, or said branches may be fixed members having their sheathing Welded or otherwise secured to the junction head. This arrangement is applicable to standards and brackets in which the main column I is provided with two conductors, afiording common feed for all of the lamps and also to arrangements in which the main column I embodies separate conductors for the different lamps.

As a further modification, several lengths of cable each fitted with a lampholder as above described and supported by any suitable form or" base member may be bunched and secured or strapped together to form a column or bracket.

Although it is preferred to provide a base plate 8 arranged as above described, this may be dispensed with in some cases by bending the cable into a coil or scroll to form a flat supporting foot. In that case there is afiixed to the end of the cable which is remote from the lampholder, a connecting member of any suitable form for providing connection to supply leads, said connecting member having a base or casing welded to the cable sheath 4.

Further, it is to be understood that although the standard shown is adapted to be supplied from electric mains, an alternative arrangement is to feed the lamp from an electric battery accommodated in a hollow supporting foot which constitutes the base 8.

I claim:

1. A fixture device for connecting lamp sockets to a source of electrical supply in such a manner that the conductors will not be twisted upon application of the lamp socket, comprising, a tubular metal sheath, conductors within said sheath, a lamp socket assembly including a cap,

a terminal block and a shell carried by one end of the sheath, the cap of said assembly being non-rotatably secured to the end of the sheath, a powdered insulating filling material within the sheath for maintaining the conductors in relative predetermined fixed relation and insulating the same from the sheath, means at each end of the sheath for holding said powdered insulating material therein, a water-resistant filler within the cap of the lamp socket assembly and covering the means at one end of the sheath for holding the powdered insulating material therein, said conductors extending through said water-resistant filler to thereby connect with the terminals of the terminal block of the lamp socket assembly, a base rigidly secured to the end of the sheath opposite the lamp socket assembly, a connector block carried by the base and having terminals to which said conductors are connected.

2. An electric fixture fitting comprising a tubular metal sheath, conductor wires therein, insulating material surrounding said conductor wires and filling the sheath to insulate the said Wires from the sheath, said wires having portions extending beyond the opposite ends of the sheath, a lamp socket assembly including a terminal block and cap and shell members, said cap member being rigidly secured to the sheath and said wires being connected with the terminal block, means within the cap for closing the end of the sheath which extends into the cap to seal the insulating material in the sheath, a waterresistant filler within the cap for protecting a said last-named means, a base rigidly secured to the end of the sheath opposite said lamp socket, means for holding the insulating material within the end of the sheath adjacent the base, and a block carried by the base and having terminal posts connected to said conductor wires.

3. An electric fixture fitting for connecting lamp sockets to a base whereby the conductors leading to the lamp socket will not be twisted by application of the socket to the fixture, comprising a tubular metallic sheath, conductors within the sheath, insulating means within the sheath to maintain said conductors in predetermined fixed relation and to insulate the same from, the sheath, a lamp socket assembly including cap and shell members and a lamp socket terminal block having a fixed relation to the conductor wires and including terminals to which the said conductor wires are connected, said cap member being rigidly secured to the tubular sheath, a base rigidly fixed at the end of the tube opposite the cap of the lamp socket assembly, means at the end of the tube connected with the base for holding the insulating material therein, and a connector block carried by the base and having terminal posts to which the conductor wires of the tube are connected.

PHILIP BARKER ROBERTS.

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