Illumination – Plural light sources – With support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-30
2002-06-18
Sember, Thomas M. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Plural light sources
With support
C362S219000, C362S259000, C362S806000, C362S800000, C315S18500S, C315S18500S
Reexamination Certificate
active
06406166
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to rope light, and more particularly to a chasing rope light which is adapted to minimize the use of the wire, so as to maintain a multi-circuit of the rope light for performing various lighting effects such as chasing and fading effect. So, the chasing rope light can not only minimize the cost of the wire but also highly reduce the thickness of the chasing rope light.
2. Description of Related Arts
A rope light is a rope like structure containing a number of lights, such as sub-miniature light bulbs or LEDs, embedded in a PVC tube which lined up by electrical wires.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a conventional rope light A
1
comprises a hollow PVC core tube A
11
coated and surrounded with an outer cover layer A
12
, three electrical wires A
13
, A
14
, A
15
longitudinally extended along the core tube A
11
and disposed inside the cover layer A
12
, and a pair of illuminating units A
16
, A
17
each having a plurality of illuminators A
18
electrically connected together in a serial connection, wherein the illuminating units A
16
, A
17
are longitudinally disposed in the core tube A
11
and electrically and selectively connected to the wires A
13
, A
14
, A
15
at two ends of the core tube A
11
in such a manner that when the rope light A
1
is switched on, the illuminators A
18
of the illuminating units A
16
, A
17
are selectively lightened and provided a diversified lighting effects.
Referring to
FIG. 2A
, as it is mentioned above, the rope light A
1
is connected as a single-circuit. If the rope light A
1
is connected as a double-circuit or multi-circuit, more wires are needed to be connected with the illuminating units. For example, four wires A
13
, A
14
, A
15
, and A
19
are needed to selectively connected. with three illuminating units A
16
, A
17
, A
20
, as shown in
FIG. 2B
, for double-circuit of the rope light A
1
′. So, as to meet the market trend, to perform more lighting effects, the more circuits for the rope light are needed. In other words, more wires are needed for the rope light to perform more lighting effects.
However, the thickness of the rope light will be increase due to the increase of the wire, which is definitely reduced the flexibility of the rope light. If the rope light could be operated on the less of wires to maintain multi-circuit for performing various lighting effects such as chasing and fading effects, both the cost of the wire and the thickness of the rope light will be highly reduced. For instance, the cost of the wire used in the rope light would be reduced up to 25 percent.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to provide a chasing rope light which can provide more lighting effects without increasing the number of the tin wires.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a chasing rope light which can increase the flexibility of the chasing rope light by minimizing the number of electrical wires.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a chasing rope light wherein less tin wires are used so as to highly decrease both the cost of the tin wire and the thickness of the chasing rope light.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a chasing rope light wherein the original structure of -the chasing rope light is much simple than that of the conventional one, which can minimize the manufacturing cost of the present invention.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a chasing rope light, comprising:
an elongated core tube;
a first and a second conductive wire are longitudinally extended along the core tube;
a connector means for electrically connecting the conductive wires to a power source; and
a first and a second illuminating unit, each comprising at least an illuminator and a diode electrically connected together in series and disposed in the core tube for securely holding the illuminators in position, wherein both first ends of the first and second illuminating units are electrically connected to the first conductive wire in parallel and both second ends of the first and second illuminating units are electrically connected to the second conductive wire in parallel, wherein the diode of the first illuminating unit and the other diode of the second illuminating unit are arranged in opposite direction that when a current is applied to the first and second conductive wires, the first diode of the first illuminating unit enables the current flowing from the first conductive wire to the second conductive wire via the first illuminating unit, and the second diode of the second illuminating unit enables the current flowing from the second conductive wire to the first conductive wire via the second illuminating unit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4994944 (1991-02-01), Vernondier
patent: 5315160 (1994-05-01), Chang
patent: 5854541 (1998-12-01), Chou
patent: 5957564 (1999-09-01), Bruce et al.
Chan Raymond Y.
David and Raymond Patent Group
Sember Thomas M.
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