Patent US3609449A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3609449A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle headlighting and standby parking light system
Assignee: General Electric Co
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Filing: 1969-02-06
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Granted: 1971-09-28
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Expires: 1989-02-06
Abstract
Abstract In a vehicle headlighting system including a head lamp and a parking lamp each containing a filament, along with a conventional two-position main switch for selectively operating either the parking lamp or the head lamp, a junction diode is connected across the hot sides of the filaments in the respective lamps so as to block current passage through the head lamp filament but permit current passage through the parking lamp when the main switch is in the first one of its two operating positions, and permit current passage through both the head lamp and the parking lamp when the main switch is in the second one of its two operating positions, thereby assuring continued operation of the parking lamp in the event the head lamp filament should become ruptured and the head lamp rendered inoperative.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph F Vercellotti
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 16:17
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60Q; B60Q11/00; B60Q11/002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
164 words
A vehicle headlighting system comprising, in combination, a head lamp and a parking lamp each containing a filament, a main switch having a head lamp terminal and a parking lamp terminal selectively connectable by said switch to a source of electric current, conductor means directly connecting said head lamp terminal to one end of said head lamp filament, said parking lamp terminal being connected directly to one end of said parking lamp filament, and a function diode connected directly across the said ends of the head lamp and parking lamp filaments and poled to block the passage of electric current to said head lamp filament, when the said parking lamp terminal is connected by said switch to said electric current source, but pass electric current from said source to said parking lamp filament so as to energize it simultaneously and continuously along with the energized head lamp filament and maintain the parking lamp filament continuously energized even though said head lamp filament be ruptured.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
164 words
A vehicle headlighting system comprising, in combination, a head lamp and a parking lamp each containing a filament, a main switch having a head lamp terminal and a parking lamp terminal selectively connectable by said switch to a source of electric current, conductor means directly connecting said head lamp terminal to one end of said head lamp filament, said parking lamp terminal being connected directly to one end of said parking lamp filament, and a function diode connected directly across the said ends of the head lamp and parking lamp filaments and poled to block the passage of electric current to said head lamp filament, when the said parking lamp terminal is connected by said switch to said electric current source, but pass electric current from said source to said parking lamp filament so as to energize it simultaneously and continuously along with the energized head lamp filament and maintain the parking lamp filament continuously energized even though said head lamp filament be ruptured.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A vehicle headlighting system as specified in claim 1 and comprising a pair of said head lamps having their filaments connected in parallel and a pair of said parking lamps having their filaments connected in parallel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
66 words
A vehicle headlighting system as specified in claim 1 and comprising, in addition, a dimmer switch, said head lamp being provided with a low-beam filament and a high-beam filament selectively connectable each at one of their ends by said dimmer switch to said head lamp terminal, and said junction diode being connected across the said one end of the parking lamp filament and the low-beam filament.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A vehicle headlighting system as specified in claim 3 and cOmprising a pair of said head lamps having their respective low-beam and high-beam filaments connected in parallel and a pair of said parking lamps having their filaments connected in parallel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
A vehicle headlighting system as specified in claim 1 wherein the said junction diode has an average forward current rating in the range of approximately 1 to 3 amperes and a reverse voltage rating in the range of approximately 50 to 100 volts.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-09-27 | 1975-03-29 | 1975-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-09-27 | 1979-03-29 | 1979-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-09-27 | 1983-03-29 | 1983-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |