(No Model.)
`
`T. A. EDISON.
`LAMP BASE.
`Patented Oot. 14, 1890.
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`. THE NORRIS PETJ!RS CO., PHOTO-llTHO., WASHINGTON, 0. C,
`
`NU MARK Ex.1037 p.1
`
`

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`UNITED ST A TES p A TENT OFFICE.
`
`THOMAS A. EDISON, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.
`
`LAMP-BASE.
`
`SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,310, dated October 14, 1890,
`Application filed May 51 1890. Serial No, 350,611. <No model.)
`
`25
`
`To all whom it n1'ay concern:
`Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, of
`Orange, in the county of Essex and State of
`New Jersey, a citizen of the United States,
`5 have invented a new and Improved Lamp(cid:173)
`Base, (Case No. 856,) of which the following
`is a specification.
`My object is to adapt my incandescent
`electric lamps for use not only with the socket
`10 ordinarily employed in my systems of elec(cid:173)
`tric lighting, but also with sockets employed
`in other electric-lighting systems. This in(cid:173)
`terchangeable feature is frequently of great
`value-for example, when a building bas
`15 been wired and equipped by one lighting
`company and for some reason it is desired to
`substitute my lamps. In this case with the
`interchangeable terminals the ordinary sock(cid:173)
`ets may be left in place and used in connec·
`20 tion with the substituted lamps.
`My invention consists in the construction
`and arrangement of devices for accomplish(cid:173)
`ing the above.named object, hereinafter de·
`scribed and claimed.
`In the accompanying drawings, which illus(cid:173)
`trate my invention, Figure 1 is a side view of
`one of my incandescent lamps with the im·
`proved terminal attached. Fig. 2 is a plan
`view of the same with the plug removed.
`30 Fig. 3 is a central cross·section through the
`base of the lamp. Fig. 4 shows two terminals
`of different forms detached from the lamps.
`Fig. 5 is an insulating-ring, which will be
`hereinafter described. Fig. G gives two views,
`35 a central section and a plan, respectively, of
`an Edison socket of the simplest form. Fig.
`7 shows two similar views of the essential
`features of a ·westinghouse socket, and Fig.
`8 two similar views of the essential features
`40 of a Thomson-Houston socket.
`In my lamp, as is well known, the base
`consists of a metal sleeve or ring 1, connected
`to one end of the incandescing :filament, and
`a central terminal insulated from the sleeve·
`45 and connected to the other end of the fila(cid:173)
`ment. At the outer end the 8leeve is bent
`over, as indicated at 1'. In the present in·
`vention the second terminal consists of a
`metal ring or filament terminal 2, preferably
`50 constructed with an internal screw-thread
`and having a flange 3. The ring is forced into
`an insnlating-washe-r 4, and said washer and
`
`65
`
`ring are supported and held in place in the
`completed lamp by plaster-of-paris or other
`suita,ble material, as indicated at 5.
`In the 55
`outer periphery of the washer are made one
`or more notches 4'. When the plaster-of(cid:173)
`paris is placed as shown, it enters these
`notches and prevents the washer from turn(cid:173)
`ing. 6 and 6' indicate two plugs or extension 60
`terminals adapted to fit into the central ring
`~. The form of plug indicated a.t 6 is shown
`inserted in the ring in Fig. 1. This adapts
`the lamp for use with the ordinary Edison
`socket.
`.
`Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that· if
`the base of the lamp be screwed into the
`socket the sleeve 1 would form electrical con(cid:173)
`tact with the socket-sleeve 7, connected to o"ne
`wire of the circuit, while the plug or termi- 70
`nal 6 would make encl contact with the screw
`8, connected to the other wire of the circuit.
`Suppose now it were desired to use the lamp
`illustrated in Fig. 1 in a building which had
`been wired and equipped with the Westing- 75
`house system. The sockets would be of sub(cid:173)
`stantially the construction shown in Fig. 7,
`one terminal of the circuit being connected
`to the central spring-arms 9 and the other
`terminal of the circuit to the spring-arms 10. So
`The terminal 6 should be removed and the
`terminal 6' put in its place. Then the lamp
`could be pushed directly into the socket in(cid:173)
`stead of being screwed in, as in the case of
`the socket illustrated in Fig. 6, the central 85
`pin or terminal passing between the spring(cid:173)
`arms 9, and the curved ends of the springs
`10 snapping over the bead 11 on the lamp(cid:173)
`base, thus completing the circuit-connection
`through the lamp.
`.
`Suppose now it were desired to use the lamp
`in connection with the Thomson-Houston
`socket, such as illustrated in Fig. 8. The
`socket 1vould be provided with a.ring terminal
`12, connected to one wire of the circuit, and 95
`a central screw-threaded terminal 13, con(cid:173)
`nected to the other wire of the circuit, and
`the shell 14 would be of sufficient size to al(cid:173)
`low the base of the lamp to be easily inserted.
`In this case it would be necessary to remove 100
`the central plug from the ring 2 of.the lamp.
`When the lamp is then put in place, the over(cid:173)
`turned flange 1' rests on the ring terminal 12
`and the ring 2 screws onto the terminal 13,
`
`90
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`NU MARK Ex.1037 p.2
`
`

`
`2
`
`438,310
`
`thus completing the circuit. When the lamp
`is used with this form of socket, it is found
`desirable to place an insulating-ring around
`the neck of the lamp-for example, just above
`5 the bead 11, as indicated at 15. This insu(cid:173)
`lat.ing-ring is preferably broken at one point,
`as indicated in Fig. 5, so that it can be read(cid:173)
`ily sprung over the bead on the lamp-base.
`'l'his insulating-ring serves to prevent elec-
`1 o trical contact between the sleeve of the socket
`and the ring terminal 1 of the lamp, and thus
`prevents danger of a short circuit, which
`would occur if the shank of the switch-han(cid:173)
`dle on the socket should electrically connect
`15 the sleeve of the socket when it was in con(cid:173)
`tact with ring 1 with the circuit-wire, which
`is connected to the central terminal of the
`lamp.
`By the simple device described, consisting
`20 of a screw-threaded terminal 2 and the two
`plugs of slightly differing shape, I am thus
`enabled at a trifling expense to construct
`lamps which may be used at will with either
`of the three leading forms of electric-lamp
`25 sockets, and it is evident that this is a very
`useful and desirable feature.
`I am aware that lamps which are adapted
`to be used with two sockets of differentmake
`by means of an intermediate connecting-
`30 sleeve have been proposed heretofore.
`Having thus described my invention, what
`I claim is-
`l. An incandescent-electric-lamp base hav(cid:173)
`. ing, in combination, an externally- screw-
`35 threaded sleeve permanently connected to one
`end of an incandescing filament and an inner
`terminal with a central bore insulated from
`the first and connected to the other end of the
`filament, substantially as described.
`2. An incandescent-electric-lamp base hav(cid:173)
`ing, in combination, an externally· screw(cid:173)
`threaded sleeve permanently connected to one
`end of an incandescing filament, an inner ter(cid:173)
`minal with a central bore insulated from the
`45 first and connected to the other end of the
`filament, and a removable plug or extension
`terminal in said central terminal, substa,n(cid:173)
`tially as described.
`
`40
`
`60
`
`3. The combination, with a socket consist(cid:173)
`ing of a sleeve with internal screw-thread 50
`connected to one wire of a circuit and in the
`base of said socket a terminal connected to
`the other wire of the same circuit, of a lamp
`the base of which is provided with an exter(cid:173)
`nally-screw-threaded sleeve connected to one 55
`end of the filament, a terminal with a central
`bore permanently connected to the other end
`of the filament, and a removable plug therel.n
`co-operating with said socket-terminal, sub-
`stantially as described.
`4. An incandescent-lamp base forming an
`integral part of the lamp adapted for use in
`different sockets, consisting of a circumfer(cid:173)
`ential terminal co-operative with the colTe(cid:173)
`sponding terminal in the socket, a centrally- ~5
`bored terminal, and a removable plug for said
`bore corresponding to the shape of the sec(cid:173)
`ond socket terminal and co-operative there(cid:173)
`with, substantially as described.
`5. An incandescent-lamp base consisting of 70
`a ring terminal co-operative with a corre(cid:173)
`sponding terminal· in a socket, an insulator
`around the ring terminal, a centrally-bored
`terminal, and a removable plug for said bore
`corresponding to the shape of the second 7 5
`socket terminal and co-operative therewith,
`substantially as described.
`6. The combination, in an incandescent(cid:173)
`lamp base, of a ring terminal 1, permanently
`connected to one end of the filament, insulat- Sc
`ing-washer 4, and ring terminal 2, held there-
`in and permanently connected to the other
`end of the filament, substantially as described.
`7. In an incandescent-lamp base, the com(cid:173)
`bination of the ring terminal 1, connected to 8;
`one end of the filament, insulating-washer 4,
`provided with notches, the ring terminal being
`connected to the other end of the filament,
`and the binding material 5, substantially as
`deseribed.
`This specification signed and witnessed this
`25th day of April, 1890.
`THOS. A. EDISON.
`
`91
`
`Witnesses:
`HARRY F. MILLER,
`A. RAE.
`
`NU MARK Ex.1037 p.3