Osram Sylvania Inc.

Tyco Electronics Logistics Ag

Osramsylavania Inc.

Steven M Boyd

Ronald E Thomas

Richard P Walker

Michael J Bonavita

Douglas G Seymour

Edward H Key

An electrical connector that comprises an electrically insulating housing having a front end and a back end displaced along a longitudinal axis. An electrical contact receiving aperture is formed in the housing and is arrayed parallel to the longitudinal axis. The back end of the connector housing further includes a contact receiving entrance that has a given cross-sectional, one-way footprint and has a given length &ldquo;L&rdquo; along the longitudinal axis. An electrical contact is positioned in the contact-receiving aperture, and has the same cross-sectional, one-way footprint as the entrance. At least a portion of the longitudinal length of the contact, designated &ldquo;L &rdquo; is sufficient to retain engagement with the contact receiving entrance until the contact enters the electrical contact-receiving aperture in the insulating housing. The one-way footprint assures correct alignment of the contact with the housing aperture and allows for a much smaller contact with lesser spacing between contacts, thus allowing for a greater contact density and a miniaturization of the connector.

Electrical connector

An angled lamp socket includes a body and a housing. The body contains therein opposing lamp retaining clips and a plurality of IDC contacts. The housing contains a plurality of holes to receive wire leads. The housing also contains a housing disc. The bottom portion of the IDC contacts are connected electrically to the wire leads and the top portion of the IDC contacts are connected to the lamp. When a lamp is inserted into the socket body, the horizontal axis of the lamp will extend at an angle in relation to the wire leads. In a preferred embodiment, such an angle is 90&deg; thereby providing a right angle lamp socket.

Angled IDC lamp socket assembly

A connector assembly which includes inner and outer connector housings and a locking spacer attached to the inner housing. The connector assembly may be obtained by the user with the locking spacer in a pre-installed position relative to the inner housing. Such pre-installed assembly includes a gasket contained within the connector assembly and held in place by the locking spacer. Latching members are provided which permit the locking spacer to be moved from the pre-installed position to a final installed position wherein the locking spacer will serve to maintain the gasket, and contacts within the inner housing, in place during use of the connector assembly.

Electrical connector with gasket abutting locking spacer

A lamp socket is provided that includes slidably engaging body and housing components. Resilient retention members are attached within the body component to grasp the base of a wedge base lamp to attach the lamp to the body component. Contacts extend into the body component to engage lead wires of the lamp. Such contacts extend out of the body component and through respective apertures in the housing component for electrical and mechanical attachment to a mating connector. The contacts are held in place relative to the body component by being inserted into body openings within the body component structured and arranged to hold the contacts in place.

Growing community of inventors

Warren, PA, United States of America

Steven M Boyd