Illumination – Plural light sources – With support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-28
2002-04-09
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Plural light sources
With support
C362S391000, C362S259000, C362S259000, C362S806000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06367951
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of making a net light, whether with or without light sockets located at the nodes (e.g., light sockets located at the intersections of the wires) to form a net, and more particularly to such a method which is easier and more economical than that conventionally used to make a net light.
Net lights are well known in the art and typically constitute a matrix of light bulbs or lamps in light sockets disposed so as to form a net light defined by horizontal rows and vertical columns of light bulbs.
As illustrated as in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/992,998, filed Dec. 18, 1997, in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
a method of forming such a net light, generally designated by the reference numeral
10
A, comprises providing a linear light set
20
A (as illustrated in FIG.
1
A), and then, through the use of various non-electrical physical connectors or fasteners
24
(represented as rectangles for ease of interpretation), physically configuring the linear light set
20
A to simulate a net light
10
A (as illustrated in FIG.
1
B). The linear light set
20
A illustrated in FIG.
1
A and the net light illustrated in
FIG. 1B
each include a plug or current tap
14
. Primarily for aesthetic purposes, the various non-electrical physical connectors
24
may be disposed on a horizontally extending electrically inactive wire or cord (not shown) in order to further the impression of a net light system. The positioning of the connectors
24
along the electrically inactive wire or cord may facilitate the manufacturing process by pre-positioning the connectors
24
therealong.
The arrows of
FIG. 1B
represent how the light set
20
A is physically laid out such that a light net
10
A results from appropriate placement of the physical connectors
24
.
Referring now to
FIGS. 2A and 2B
, therein illustrated are a light set and net light similar to those illustrated in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, respectively, but with each light set
20
B being adapted to be manually joined to another light set
20
B′ via an assembly of its end connector
30
and a plug
14
′ of the other light set
20
B′, and with each light set
20
B,
20
B′ comprising a plurality of parallel-wired sub-sets
32
to form an extended net light.
More particularly,
FIG. 1A
shows a fixed linear light set
20
A having fifty lamp sockets L
1
through L
50
connected by intermediate lengths
22
of wire, while
FIG. 2A
shows an extended linear light set construction wherein at least two light sets
20
B,
20
B′ are connected electrically in parallel (the second set
20
B′ being illustrated only partially and in phantom line) and wherein each light set
20
B is electrically divided into at least two parallel-wired light sub-sets
32
B,
32
B′ each having fifty light sockets L
1
-L
50
, L
51
-L
100
(represented as circles for ease of interpretation) connected in series by intermediate lengths
22
of wire. Where the extended linear light set has a plurality of light sets
20
B,
20
B′ but does not include light sub-sets
32
B, the application of the full voltage differential from the plug
14
or first lamp socket L
1
, L
51
to the end connectors
30
or last lamp socket L
50
, L
100
may be accomplished either by a single light set bypass wire B (not shown) or by a series of sub-set bypass wires B′ (as illustrated), as the two techniques are functionally equivalent to ensure all light sets
20
B,
20
B′ receiving full line voltage.
A light set bypass wire B of a first light set
20
B extends from the plug means
14
(or the first lamp socket L
1
thereafter), follows the active wire A and return wire R, and terminates with return wire R in the end connector
30
(or the last lamp socket Ln therebefore) so that the plug
14
′ of a second light set
20
B′ inserted into the end connector
30
of the first light set
20
B receives a full line voltage equivalent to that received by the first light set
20
B.
Each extended linear light set
20
B,
20
B′ may comprise in turn a plurality of light sub-sets
32
B wired in parallel so that the first lamp socket of each sub-set
32
B has full line voltage applied to it. Assuming a pair of 50-bulb sub-sets
32
B,
32
B′ a sub-set bypass wire B′ extends from plug
14
(or the first lamp socket L
1
thereafter of the first sub-set) to lamp socket L
50
, and another extends from lamp socket L
51
of the second sub-set
32
B′ to the end connector
30
(or the last lamp socket L
100
of the second sub-set
32
B′). Clearly, additional sub-sets may be employed, and the number of bulbs or lamp sockets in each sub-set may vary from
50
.
It will be appreciated that, while the initial linear light set
20
A of
FIG. 1A
has been expanded to an extended linear light set
20
B of
FIG. 2A
both by the use of at least one additional plug-in light set
20
B′ and by the use of a plurality of sub-sets
32
B within each light set, the linear light set
20
A may be expanded by the use of only one of these techniques, if preferred. The light sets
20
B,
20
B′ illustrated in
FIG. 2A
may be expanded to each include any plurality of sub-sets
32
B (and sub-set bypass wires B′), and the net light
10
B illustrated in
FIG. 2B
may include any plurality of light sets
20
B,
20
B′ (each but the last including a light set bypass wire B and an end connector
30
). In those instances where a light set
20
B includes a plurality of sub-sets
32
B, but is not to be connected with a following light set
20
B′, the sub-set bypass wire B′ of the last sub-set thereof (adjacent the end connector
30
) may be omitted and, indeed, the end connector
30
itself may be omitted.
It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the electrical arts that the amount of wire utilized by the prior art net light constructions
10
A and
10
B of
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, respectively, are enormous since the active wire A, the return wire R, and the bypass wire B, B′ extend substantially the entire stretched-out length of the conventional light sets
20
A,
20
B. Wire costs are perhaps the most significant element in the cost of a net light.
In the United States, the UL (“Underwriters Laboratory”) approves of a net light only where the active and return wires A, R are twisted together on each light string (the only permissible alternative being the use of a very thick wire, which would render the product economically unfeasible). Thus, while net lights are quite popular, especially as Christmas decorations (e.g., for use on a Christmas tree, over bushes, or the like), and while the sheer volume of sales thereof has enabled the purchase price of such sets to be substantially reduced, the manufacture of such a net light is necessarily complex and labor-intensive (and hence expensive) when made by conventional process techniques to produce a net light meeting various federal, state and UL (Underwriters Laboratory) requirements.
Thus, in addition to the aforenoted economic difficulties, the conventional net light presents manufacturing difficulties. In order to maintain the active, return and bypass wires A, R, B twisted together in the net light, rather long lengths of the linear light set must be used, so that the creation of each linear light set may involve working with wire lengths as long as 25, 50 or 75 feet, depending upon the number of sub-sets in a light set. The need to maintain a lengthy linear light set in a relatively sinuous net-like disposition (prior to application of the connectors) can create problems in the process of manufacture and necessitate the use of expensive hand labor steps rather than relatively inexpensive automated equipment steps.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of making a net light which is easier and more economical than that conventionally used to make net lights.
Another object is to provide such a method which produces a net light with or without lamp sockets and lamps locat
Kumada Isao
Rahman Najeh
Husar Stephen
Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP
Minami International Corporation
Ross Monty L.
Ton Anabel
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