Decorative lighting apparatus

[0002] The present invention relates to decorative lighting units of the type in which a string of lights is mounted on one or more support frames to achieve a predetermined lighting design.

[0003] In the past, wire frames have been used for holding lights on a lighting string to form an outline of an object, such as a Christmas tree. The present invention provides an improved light display system and frame for holding a light string, such that the lights present a design simulating a magnified snowflake.

[0004] In carrying out the invention, an injection-molded plastic frame is provided, having a plurality of flat spokes radiating integrally from a hub and each having several coplanar branches extending therefrom. The spokes and branches are provided with upstanding channels for receiving and holding a two-wire cord on which a series of miniature light units are mounted in series. The cord is gripped by the channels with the light units laying flat against the frame. For ease of assembly, the light units are equally spaced apart along the cord. Each branch holds a light unit and in addition a light unit is positioned between the root ends of the spokes. Multiple of the frames may be suspended or otherwise mounted in an array.

[0005] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a snowflake unit with lights in place made in accordance with the present invention;

[0006] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view to an enlarged scale showing the mounting of a light unit at the top of a branch of the snowflake unit;

[0007] FIG. 3 is a side view of the structure shown in FIG. 2;

[0008] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary back elevational view of the frame of the snowflake unit;

[0009] FIG. 5 is a schematic of the wiring for an array of three of the snowflake units;

[0010] FIG. 5A is a schematic of an alternative wiring arrangement;

[0011] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of one of the light units;

[0012] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the base of the terminal light unit with the wiring in place; and

[0013] FIG. 8 is a front elevational view showing the tip branch at the entry to the frame of the snowflake unit.

[0014] Referring to the drawings, it is seen that one or more snowflake units 10 are provided which are lighted by a string of light units 11. Each snowflake unit has an injection molded, unitary backing frame 12 on which the light string is mounted. The backing frame 12 has a flat back side and each is formed with a hexagonal hub 13 with radiating spokes 14 from which a respective group of two right side branches 15a-b, two left side branches 15c-d, and a tip branch 15eextend. Each of these branches 15a-ehas a pair of branch channels 16a-babout midway along their length. These branch channels 16a-bare complemented by an outer spoke channel 17 near the inner end of the tip branch 15e, a central spoke channel 18 on each spoke between the root ends of the branches 15a, 15cand branches 15b, 15d, and an inner spoke channel 19 between the inner branches 15a, 15cand the hub 13. Adjacent each intersection of the hub and one of the spokes 14 a generally Y-shaped channel 20 is provided having two diverging sections 20a, 20bspacing radially outwardly slightly from the hub 13, and having a third outwardly radiating section 20cprojecting from the spoke. One of the tip branches 15eis formed with a pair of guides 21, 21a(FIG. 8) for leading in a two-wire cord 27 supplying power to the snowflake lights.

[0015] The light units 11 can be of the push-in type shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,650 and 4,779,177, and 5,154,508, but having two rather than three wires in the cord. More specifically, the light units 11 may be, for example, of the type including an injection-molded two-piece plastic lampholder consisting of a socket unit 22 and a generally U-shaped base unit 23 which have a snap interfit and provide therebetween a wireway 31 for passage of a cord 27 containing an interrupted active wire 27aand a return wire 27b. The socket unit 22 provides a generally circular socket cavity 22aalong the length for receiving a push-in bulb unit 24 having an injection-molded plastic bulb holder 25 in which a bulb 26 with a pair of leads 26afrom its filaments is mounted. Each lampholder also has a pair of elongated push-in contact elements 28 located in guideways at opposite sides of the socket cavity 22aand arranged to project into the wireway 31. There the contact elements 28 pierce the insulation 27cof the cord 27 so as to engage the wire 27aof the cord on opposite sides of a respective cutout 27din the wire.

[0016] Projecting from the socket unit 22 on opposite sides of the wireway 31 are two locking legs 32 presenting opposed locking shoulders 32aadjacent their outer end for interfitting with the base unit 23. These shoulders 32aare adjoined by beveled lead-in faces 32b. The inner face of each locking leg 32 is transversely concave matching the curvature of the socket cavity 22a.

[0017] The base unit 23 has a pair of flexible guide fingers 34 shaped to engage the lead-in faces 32band be flexed at their root end toward one another responsive to pushing of the base unit 23 and socket housing 22 together from opposite sides of the cord 27 after the base unit 23 has been positioned with the cord 27 straddled by the fingers 34 at the site of the cutout 27d. At their root end the fingers 34 have retaining shoulders 35 between curved base flanges 36. These shoulders 35 are engaged by the locking shoulders 32awhen the base unit 23 and socket unit 22 are snap-fitted together over the cord 27. As a result, the cord 27 is firmly gripped between the base unit 23 and socket unit 22. The guide fingers are preferably arched transversely to provide each with a convex outer guide face 34acomplementing the concave inner guide face of the respective locking leg 32, and the free end of each guide finger 34 is preferably rounded and beveled on its convex outer side as indicated at 34b. The base unit 23 presents a post 37 arranged between the fingers 34 to project into the cutout 27din active wire 27aof the cord 27.

[0018] The bulb holder 25 has a central socket 40 to receive the bulb 26. This socket 40 is provided in a round plug 42 having an outwardly flared annular rim 43 spaced above its lower end, and having a relatively narrow extension 44 with opposite exterior flat side faces 44abetween narrow pinch faces 44b. A pair of longitudinal passages (not shown) extend through the base of the plug 42 and through the length of the extension 44 into a slot 47 located at the free end of the narrow extension and intersecting the narrow faces 44b. These narrow faces 44bare spaced apart slightly less than the diameter of the socket cavity 22ato allow for the bulb leads 26aand are aligned with the bottom of positioning grooves 48 which are formed in the plug 42 and extend to an annular shoulder 49 at the base of the flared rim 43. When the bulb 26 is positioned in the bulb holder 25, the lead wires 26aextend from the bulb 26 through the passages 46 and outwardly at opposite ends of the slot 47. Then the leads 26adouble back over the narrow pinch faces 44band part way into the grooves 48. When the bulb unit 24 is pushed into the socket unit 22 the bulb leads 26aare pinched between the pinch faces 44band the contact elements 28 to complete a circuit bypassing the respective cutout 27din the wire 27a.

[0019] The bulb holder 25 preferably is provided with a locking finger 50 which projects from the annular rim 43 and has an inturned locking element 50awhich is tapered at its bottom side. The locking finger is arranged to spring outwardly as it rides over a sloped entry ramp 51 on the socket housing 22 when the bulb holder 25 is pushed into the cavity 22a. Then the locking finger 50 springs inwardly at the outer end of the ramp 51 so that the locking element 50aengages a stop shoulder beneath the ramp. The locking finger 50 has a pair of fork arms 50bwhich connect to the rim 43 of the bulb holder 25 and are separated by an opening 50cwhich overlies the locking element 50a. This arrangement makes it possible to injection mold the locking finger as an integral part of the bulb holder 25.

[0020] The cord 27 enters the frame through the guides 21 and passes along the tip branch between its channels 16a, 16b. Then it doubles back at 27bthrough the right channel 16aof the tip branch to enter the wireway of the first light unit 11a. It leaves the first light unit and passes through the left channel 16bof the tip branch and outer channel 17 of the respective spoke 14. Then the cord passes outward through the left channel of the outer left branch 15d, through the wireway of the next light unit, and inward through the left channel 16bof the outer left branch.

[0021] Next, the cord passes through the central channel 18 of the spoke and outward through the right channel of the inner left branch 15cto the wireway of the next light unit. After passing through that wireway it returns to the spoke through the left channel of the inner left branch 15cto the inner channel 19 of the spoke. The cord then is guided by the Y-channel 20′ to pass counterclockwise through the wireway of the next light unit to commence passage to the next spoke where it passes outwardly to the light units at the outer ends of the right lateral branches 15a-15b, then to the light unit on the tip branch 15e, and then passes inwardly to the light units at the outer ends of the left lateral branches 15d, 15cto return to the inner end of the respective spokes. It will be noted that each of the three spoke channels 17-19 contain portions of the cord passing outwardly away from the hub and also contain portions of the cord passing inwardly toward the hub. All of the channels are sufficiently resilient to grip the portions of the cord being guided by the channels.

[0022] Each of the branches has a flat tip portion 12alocated behind the respective light unit and this is normally engaged by the outer face of the respective locking finger 50 to assist in properly positioning the light unit. Preferably the tip portion 12aextends longitudinally outward sufficiently to act as a back guard for the bulb in the respective light unit as shown in FIG. 3.

[0023] Preferably the light units are equally spaced along the cord in each frame. This simplifies production of the light strings and the mounting thereof on the frames.

[0024] The cord 27 is longitudinally split along the center of its insulation adjacent the terminal light unit 11cwhich is mounted on the right outer branch of the spoke at which the cord entered the frame and the interrupted active wire 27ais cut so that the return wire 27bis longer. The return wire 27b, after passing through the wireway of the terminal light unit 11c, is doubled back at a loop 127dand passed into the wireway to the end by a terminal portion 127bat the post 37. Wire 27aends in the wireway by a terminal portion 127aat the opposite side of the post as shown in FIG. 7. These terminal portions 127band 127aof the return wire and active wire are engaged by the contact elements 28 to complete a circuit to the bulb in the terminal light unit 11c.

[0025] As indicated in FIG. 5, three, for example, of the frames may be arranged in a side-by-side array in which case the wiring circuit can include a cord for each frame with the three return wires from the frames being connected at an end connector 51 with a ground wire 52 extending from a controller 54 or a wall plug 56, and with the three active wires extending to the controller or the wall plug. This arrangement provides a parallel-type circuit. The wires may be twisted together between clips 58 having a through passage intersected by a lateral passage as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,429. Each clip is positioned to receive the cord 27 for a respective frame into its lateral passage with its return and active wires separated by splitting the cord longitudinally and extending the resulting split portions of the cord oppositely in its through passage. When three frames 10 are used, each clip has three through wires entering and exiting from its through passage. One of these wires is the ground wire 52 from the controller 54 to the end connector 50 and the other two are through wires for the other two frames. In addition, a fourth wire appears to extend from each end of the through passage of the clip, whereas this fourth wire is actually the wires 27a-bin the cord 27 which extend into the through passage by way of the lateral passage in the clip and extend in opposite directions from the through passage. The clips 58 may be provided with hangers or openings to receive fasteners for mounting the clips so that the frames 10 can be suspended in generally side-by-side relation. Alternatively, the frames can be, for example, suspended one above another.

[0026] As indicated schematically in FIG. 5A, the return wire 27bneed not pass through the wireways of the light units, although it is preferred that they do so in order to better grip the cord. With this modification, the return wire 27bextends directly from the last wire unit 11cto the ground of the power circuit and the cord needs to only comprise a single insulated wire.

[0027] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.