Special receptacle or package – For a filament or space discharge bulb or tube – Plural
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-08
2001-05-29
Foster, Jim (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For a filament or space discharge bulb or tube
Plural
C206S388000, C248S317000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237769
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a device for preparing light strings, such as Christmas lights, for tangle-free storage and easy re-use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Decorative light strings are used in a wide variety of applications, such as non-seasonal store displays. One of their widest uses is as Christmas lights, when they are used to decorate yards, fences, and houses and other structures. However, this seasonal use of such light strings requires that the light strings be stored for much of the year. In storage, the light strings tend to become tangled, resulting in wasted time involved in untangling the light strings before they can be re-hung as Christmas approaches. The tangling can become so severe that the light string must be thrown away as unusable. These tangling problems are more severe with newer, and very popular, light strings such as icicle lights.
To provide a solution to the tangling and storage problem, various devices for storing light strings have been suggested. These devices often involve a flat card or base around which the light string must be meticulously wound. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,491 to Lee discloses a flat, stiff mounting plate with integrated, uniformly-spaced slotted tabs, allowing for the light string wire to be wound around the plate and the lights to be inserted into the slots.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,931 to White discloses a slotted base card with swivel-pivots, so that the card may be axially rotated to wind and un-wind the light string on the card. In White, slots in the card do not hold individual sockets. Rather, they provide saddles for the wire to fit into to prevent its slipping off of the card. White additionally discloses integrated holes in the card to allow the card to be hung on hooks for storage. However, the light string must be wound onto the card manually, and must be unwound for re-use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,067 to McAllister, et al., discloses a generally rectangular frame around which a light string can be would, with tooth-like projections at the edges of the frame to prevent the wire from slipping. Unlike White, the teeth of the device disclosed in McAllister, et al. are narrowly spaced, and require that the light string be wound with only one loop between each pair of teeth. Thus the light string must be carefully wound about the frame to utilize each available gap and avoid wasting space. The device of McAllister, et al., additionally discloses the use of an integral hook to hang the frame for storage. As with the device of White, the light string must be manually wound and un-wound from the frame.
Each of these devices provides some means for storing light strings, but each requires effort on the user's part to properly wind the light string about the device, and in some cases, to insert individual light sockets into slots. Further, these devices do not provide protection for multiple, dangling, sub-strings, such as those found on icicle lights. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a device to allow consumers to quickly and easily prepare light strings for storage in a way which prevents tangling and protects the lights against breakage.
It is a goal of the invention to provide a device to quickly prepare light strings for storage.
It is a further goal of the invention to allow light strings to be quickly removed from storage and to be prepared for re-hanging.
It is another goal of the invention to protect light strings against breakage and tangling while in storage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a device for rapidly enclosing a light string in an extensible sheath, such as a flexible lightweight plastic tube. Once it is so enclosed, the light string may be coiled, un-coiled, and re-coiled without becoming tangled. Such an enclosed light string may be stored by laying it down or hanging it on the wall in a coil. The enclosure of the light string in a plastic tube provides some protection against breakage during storage. Additional protection can be provided by placing the enclosed light string in a box, such as a cardboard box, from which the enclosed light string can be quickly removed and prepared for re-use.
The invention comprises a base unit and an extensible sheath, each having a longitundinal axis, with the base unit inserted through the sheath in its compressed form so that their longitudinal axes are essentially aligned. The base unit additionally comprises a coupler capable of securely holding one end of the light string to be stored. In operation, one end of the light string is attached to the coupler so that the sheath may be extended to surround and protect the length of the light string. Depending on the positioning of the coupler, a short portion of the light string may be left uncovered until the light string is decoupled from the base unit and the sheath is extended further to cover this final portion. The invention preferably comprises a restraint which can be used to hold the base unit in position while the sheath is being extended, so that a single person can perform the entire process of enclosing the light string.
In the preferred embodiment, the base unit comprises flared ends to prevent the sheath from slipping off of the base unit prematurely. Also in the preferred embodiment, one of the ends of the base unit is removably attachable to the base unit, so that the removable end may be used as a guide to direct the light string into the sheath. The base unit further preferably comprises depressions or slots, into which fasteners such as rubber bands or strips tightenable with Velcro™ may be seated over the ends of the extensible sheath to further prevent unwanted slippage of the extensible sheath.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2741411 (1956-04-01), Olden
patent: 2872032 (1959-02-01), West
patent: 5033619 (1991-07-01), Garis
patent: 5064067 (1991-11-01), McAllister et al.
patent: 5287965 (1994-02-01), Miller
patent: 5381899 (1995-01-01), Rabbitt
patent: 5582291 (1996-12-01), Schroeder et al.
patent: 5653339 (1997-08-01), Dobson
patent: 5676250 (1997-10-01), Walters
patent: 5868334 (1999-02-01), Cedillo
patent: 5924570 (1999-07-01), Sickles
patent: 5947298 (1999-09-01), Huang
Foster Jim
Lightsock, Inc.
McConnell R. Perry
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