US2637803A - Ignition timing light having a replaceable lamp - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1953 K. REIFENBERG 2,637,803

IGNIIIoN IIMING LIGHT HAVING A REPLAGEABLE LAMP Filed Aug. 4, 1951 Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED STATES gr" E .i 'E' 21.5

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IGNITIN TIMENG LIGHT HAVING A REPLACEABLE LAME Karl Reifenberg, Chicago, Ill., assigner to E. Edelmann & C0., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois This invention relates to an improvement in ignition timing lightsand more particularly to an ignition timing light with a replaceable lamp.

In present ignition timing lights having replaceable lamps, the installation of a replacement lamp usually requires the careful wiring of the replacement lamps electrical contactors to the proper electrical leads because the polarity of the leads and lamp contactors must be preserved if the light is to function properly. The removal of a burned out lamp and its replacement by a fresh lamp is, therefore, time consuming, and the possibility'of making the wrong electrical connections always exists.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an ignition timing light with a replaceable lamp, wherein the lamp will be always installed properly and wherein it isunnecessary to do any Wiring of the lamp contactors to the electrical leads.

Another object of this invention is to provide an ignition timing light with a replaceable lamp whose electrical contactors are adapted to be clamped resiliently against another set of electrical contactors of the proper polarity, whereby replacement of a burned out lamp may be accomplished quickly and properly.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming part of this specification.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 shows an ignition timing light with the cap and part of the housing in cross-section to show the arrangement of parts within the housing.

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the lamp and the electrical contactors mounted within the housing.

Figure 3 is a view taken substantially on line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a View taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a greatly enlarged cross-section view taken on line 5--5 of Figure 4l and showing the resilient mounting of the electrical contactors within the housing.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure l an elongated cup-shaped housing Ill open at one end thereof. A cap, generally ndicated at l2, is threaded into the open end of the housing to enclose the lamp mounted therea? ce in. A pair of electrical leads I4 and lli extend through the bottom of housing Il! and are connected in electrically conductive relation to a pair of electrical contactors i3 and 2i! positioned within housing lll. These electrical contactors IS and 2l? iace the open end of the housing and are lined relative to the housing, in that they cannot be radially displaced within the housing.

A lamp generally indicated at 22 is adapted to be inserted into the open end of the housing and to extend therefrom. rThis lamp 2E is of the neon bulb type which is well known in the art. The lamp 22 comprises a glass bulb 24 which is sealed to a plastic base 26. The plastic base 25 is of greater diameter than the glass bulb 2l! for a reason that will be disclosed hereinafter. A. pair of electrical contactors 28 and 3l] are provided on the under side of base 26 and are adapted respectively to engage electrical contactors ES and 2d.

In order that the proper polarity of the electrical contactors be preserved, so that contactor il. will always engage contactor i8 and contacter .'ili will always engage contactor 2t, a key 32 is formed integrally within the housing lil and extends longitudinally therein. A keyway 34 is formed in base 2li and is adapted to register with key S2 so as to properly position the contactors 23 and 3l? to respectively engage contactors I8 and '2i-l.

A lip tt on cap l?. is provided to engage base 25 so as to clamp the set of contactors 23 and 3@ and the set of contactors it and 28 together into operative engagement. The lip 3B is of slightly greater diameter than glass bulb 24 and is positioned concentrically therewith but has an internal diameter smaller than that of the base 2t whereby the lip 36 engages the base 26 for the purpose described above.

A shoulder 38 on cap l2 engages the upper end of housing l@ to limit the threading of the cap l2 into the housing l0. The cap l2 also has a lens 39 mounted therein for a purpose of focusing the light of the lamp 22.

To accommodate the clamping of the set of contactors 2t and 3@ against the set of contactors la and 2t, one of said sets of contactors is resiliently mounted. In the specific form shown herein, the contactors I8 and 2li which are mounted in the housing are the resiliently mounted set of cont-actors and are shown in detail in Figure li.

Referring to Figure 5, the leads it and It are each electrically connected to a threaded electrically conducting bolt fill. An inner sleeve 42 is positioned concentrically of the stem of each bolt 40 and outer sleeves or contactors I8 and 20, are each positioned concentrically with an inner sleeve 42. A spring 44 is positioned concentrically of each inner sleeve 42 and between each inner sleeve 42 and the associate contactor I8 or 2U. A nut 46 is threaded onto the stem of each bolt 48 and retains the contactors I8 and 28 in position. These nuts 46 limit the outward movement of the contactors I8 and 20 under the bias of springs 44.

The resilient contactors I8 and 20 are mounted in a plastic non-conducting plug 48 which is inserted through the open end of the housing I0. This plug 48 has a keyway 50 which is adapted to register with key 32 for the purpose of positioning contactors I8 and 20 in the predetermined position where they are adapted to be engaged by contactors 23 and 38 of the lamp. The movement of the plug 48 into the housing I0 is limited by a plurality of ribs 52 which are formed integrally in housing I8 and which engage the lower side of plug 48 as best shown in Figures 1 and 5.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein Without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is intended in the appended claim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An ignition timing light comprising an elongated housing open at one end thereof, a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs formed integrally with said housing extending inwardly from the wall of said housing and spaced from the open end of said housing, a single key integral with said housing extending along the inner wall of said housing from adjacent said ribs to adjacent said open end of the housing, a plug insertable in the open end of said housing and slidable thereinto until it engages said ribs, a pair of electrical contactors resiliently mounted on said plug and extending therefrom toward said open end of the housing, electrical leads connected to said electrical contactors and extending through the other end of said housing, a lamp inserted into the open end of said housing, said lamp comprising a glass bulb portion, a base portion and a pair of electrical contactors on the under side of said base extending therefrom, said plug and said lamp base each having a single keyway therein registering with the key in the housing to align the electrical contactors in the plug and on the lamp base, a cap enclosing the extended glass bulb portion of the lamp and adapted to be threaded into the open end of said housing, and a lip on said cap extending within said housing and engaging the lamp base to force the sets of electrical contactors into operative engagement, said resiliently mounted pair of contactors in the plug accommodating the compression theretogether of the pairs of electrical contactors.

KARL REIFENBERG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,755,166 Cannon Apr. 22, 1930 2,039,214 Eaton Apr. 28, 1936 2,337,237 Garberding Dec. 21, 1943

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