Vehicle lamp and terminal therefor

Claim 2

A lamp structure comprising: a. a housing having walls defining a support structure of electrically insulating material, one of said walls having passages therethrough with each being of a size to engage and guide an end portion of an insulated conductor wire into said housing; b. conductor terminal members in said housing for effecting electrical connection between ends of conductor wires and electric lamp terminals, each of said terminal members being an electrically conductive strip of resilient relatively hard material; c. said terminal members being fixed in said housing and having elongate locking tongues with free ends intersecting the axis of a respective conductor wire passage; d. said free ends of the terminal member locking tongues each being inclined toward the direction of wire insertion movement and having edge portions operative to grip a respective wire end against an opposed side forming the passage and bite into the wire making a positive electrical contact therewith and resisting retractive movement of the respective conductor wire.

Claim 3

A lamp structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. said locking tongues being a pair for each terminal member and extending in side by side parallel relation; b. said free ends of said tongues being transversely curved providing the respective free end with a notch and edges for receiving and engaging a conductor wire.

Claim 4

A lamp structure comprising: a. a housing having a wall of electrically insulating material; said wall having a passage therethrough of a size to engage and permit an insulated conductor wire to extend therein; b. a lens covered light transmitting opening in said housing; c. a lamp support mounted in the housing for positioning an electric lamp for light therefrom to pass through said lens; d. conductor terminal members for effective electrical connection between ends of conductor wires and electric lamp terminals; each of said terminal members being an electrically conductive strip of resilient relatively hard material; e. said housing having a wall surface adjacent said conductor passages; f. said terminal members being fixed in said housing and having elongate locking tongues with free ends facing toward said passages in opposed relation to said adjacent wall surface and sufficiently close thereto to be operable to clamp a wire end against said wall surface; g. said free ends of the tongues being inclined toward the direction of wire insertion movement and having an edge operative to bite into the wire, make positive electrical contact therewith and resist retractive movement of the respective conductor wire. h. mounting means exteriorly of said housing for securing an assembled lamp structure in an operative position, said conductor wires being insertable into the passages to complete electrical connection with the housing closed and mounted.

Claim 5

A lamp structure comprising: a. a housing having a wall of electrically insulating material; said wall having a passage therethrough of a size to engage and permit an insulated conductor wire to extend therein; b. a lens covered light transmitting opening in said housing; c. a lamp support mounted in the housing for positioning an electric lamp for light therefrom to pass through said lens; d. conductor terminal members for effective electrical connection between ends of conductor wires and electric lamp terminals; each of said terminal members being an electrically conductive strip of resilient relatively hard material; e. said housing having a wall surface adjacent said conductor passages; f. said terminal members being fixed in said housing and having elongate locking tongues with free ends facing toward said passages in opposed relation to said adjacent wall surface and sufficiently close thereto to be operable to clamp a wire end against said wall surface; g. said free ends of the tongues being inclined toward the direction of wire insertion movement and having an edge operative to bite into the wire, make positive electrical contact therewith and resist retractive movement of the respective conductor wire. h. mounting means exteriorly of said housing for securing an assembled lamp structure in an operative position, said conductor wires being insertable into the passages to complete electrical connection with the housing closed and mounted.

Claim 6

A lamp structure as set forth in claim 3 wherein: a. said lamp support has a socket member with a socket receiving a lamp base with an open end through which end contacts of the lamp extend; b. spaced supports on said housing wall and engaging said terminal members and holding same with a portion of said terminal members between said supports resiliently engages the lamp contacts; c. said locking tongues being integral with said terminal members and extending from adjaceNt one support with the free ends spaced therefrom; d. said passages being elongate and guiding the conductor wires during insertion thereof to flex the locking tongues and move into gripped engagement between said tongues and said wall surface.

Claim 7

In a vehicle lamp having a housing with a base wall and a side wall defining an open end compartment closed by a lens: a. a lamp support mounted in a housing having walls defining an open end compartment closed by a lens, said lamp support having a socket member with a socket for receiving a lamp base in electrical contact and having an open end through which an end contact of the lamp base extends, said lamp support having at least one leg extending from the socket member to a wall of the housing; b. means securing said leg of said lamp support to the wall of the housing to position a lamp in the socket for directing light through the lens; c. portions of the one of said housing walls defining a conductor wire passage opening exteriorly of the housing and of a size to engage and guide an end portion of an insulated conductor wire of a lamp dircuit in a substantially linear path into said compartment; d. a terminal member mounted relative to said one of said housing walls and having a resilient portion extending toward the open end of said socket member to be in electrical engagement with a lamp contact of a lamp therein, said terminal member having a resilient locking tongue with a free end intersecting the axis of said conductor wire passage; e. said free end of the locking tongue of said terminal member being inclined toward the direction of wire insertion and having edge portions to engage a bare end portion of an insulated conductor against an opposite passage defining portion and bite into said wire thereby gripping same to prevent retractive movement thereof, said lamp being such that the conductor connections are completed with the housing closed.

Claim 8

In a vehicle lamp having a housing with a base wall and a side wall defining an open end compartment closed by a lens: a. a lamp support mounted in a housing having walls defining an open end compartment closed by a lens, said lamp support having a socket member with a socket for receiving a lamp base in electrical contact and having an open end through which an end contact of the lamp base extends, said lamp support having at least one leg extending from the socket member to a wall of the housing; b. means securing said leg of said lamp support to the wall of the housing to position a lamp in the socket for directing light through the lens; c. portions of the one of said housing walls defining a conductor wire passage opening exteriorly of the housing and of a size to engage and guide an end portion of an insulated conductor wire of a lamp dircuit in a substantially linear path into said compartment; d. a terminal member mounted relative to said one of said housing walls and having a resilient portion extending toward the open end of said socket member to be in electrical engagement with a lamp contact of a lamp therein, said terminal member having a resilient locking tongue with a free end intersecting the axis of said conductor wire passage; e. said free end of the locking tongue of said terminal member being inclined toward the direction of wire insertion and having edge portions to engage a bare end portion of an insulated conductor against an opposite passage defining portion and bite into said wire thereby gripping same to prevent retractive movement thereof, said lamp being such that the conductor connections are completed with the housing closed.

Claim 9

In a vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 5 wherein: a. the lamp base has a pair of end contacts thereon; b. a terminal member is mounted on the one of said housing walls for each of the end contacts on the lamp base with the resilient portion thereof engaging the respective lamp contact; c. each terminal member has a pair of locking tongues; and d. said one of said housing walls has portions defining a conductor wire passage for each locking tongue of each terminal member.

Claim 10

In a vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 5 wherein: a. the conductor wire passage defined by portions of the one of said housing walls is elongate and substantially in a line with the conductor entrance opening at the exterior end thereof; b. said conductor entrance opening is of a size to receive an insulated conductor of a lamp circuit; and c. said portions of said one of said housing walls has a resilient portion in the conductor wire passage to have sealing engagement with a conductor.

Claim 11

In a vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 7 wherein: a. the lamp base has a pair of end contacts thereon; b. the one of said housing walls has a wall portion extending therefrom and a terminal support portion extending from said wall portion; c. a terminal member for each of the end contacts on the lamp base is mounted on the terminal support portion of the one of said housing walls with the resilient portion thereof engaging the respective lamp contact; d. each terminal member has a pair of locking tongues; e. the wall portion and the terminal support portion have portions positioned to define said conductor wire passages there being a passage for each locking tongue.

Claim 12

In a vehicle lamp as set forth in claim 5 wherein the housing has walls defining a second compartment therein with an opening closed by a lens and including: a. a lamp support mounted in a second compartment in the housing and having a socket member with a socket for receiving a lamp base in electrical contact and having an open enD through which an end contact of the lamp base may extend; b. means securing said socket member of said lamp support in the second compartment to position a lamp in said socket for directing light through a lens closing an opening in the second compartment; c. a terminal member in electrical contact with and extending from said first named lamp support and having a resilient portion extending toward the open end of said socket member of said second named lamp support to electrically engage a lamp contact of a lamp therein; and d. an electrical conductor connected to and extending between said first named terminal member and said second named lamp support.