Lamp retainer structure

Claim 1

In a lamp having a forwardly opening housing with electrical contact means therein, and a bulb having a body with rearwardly exposed terminal means and a peripheral rim, the combination with said lamp of a bulb retainer comprising a forward wall with an aperture therethrough, a pair of flanges on said retainer located generally on opposite sides of said aperture spaced rearwardly from said forward wall and having normal retaining positions wherein they extend inwardly toward each other in opposed relationship, the bulb normally being retained in said retainer by engagement of said peripheral rim between said forward wall and said flanges, one of said flanges being movable from its said retaining position to an open position clear of the bulb rim to permit removal and replacement of the bulb, and coupling means releasably engageable between the retainer and housing for removably mounting the retainer on the front of the housing with said terminal and contact means operatively engaged, said retainer including peripheral wall means extending rearwardly from the periphery of said forward wall, said peripheral wall means generally enclosing the bulb rim and having a pair of generally parallel, opposite sidewall portions, said flanges projecting inwardly from the respective said sidewall portions, said movable flange being one side of an elongated angle member, the other side of which is disposed generally in side-by-side relationship with the respective sidewall portion and pivoted adjacent one end thereof to said respective sidewall portion.