Illumination – Light fiber – rod – or pipe – Ornamental or decorative
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-18
2002-08-13
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Light fiber, rod, or pipe
Ornamental or decorative
C362S123000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06431740
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to artificial Christmas trees and, more specifically, to Christmas trees or other decorative trees which incorporate a large number of fiber optic strands with one end of each strand terminating between, adjacent to or closely associated with the tip ends of simulated needles on the tree. The other end of each fiber optic strand terminates adjacent to and in alignment with colored segments of a rotatable color wheel with a light source oriented adjacent to an opposite surface of the color wheel to illuminate the ends of the fiber optic strands adjacent the color wheel with changing colors. The color wheel is motor driven and when it rotates and the light source is energized, the fiber optic strands will transmit changing colors to the terminal ends of the fiber optic strands adjacent the tip ends of the needles thereby providing a decorative tree that includes a large number of illuminated terminal ends of the fiber optic strands which continuously change color in accordance with the arrangement of transparent color segments in the color wheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Small fiber optic Christmas trees having a height generally ranging from 2 feet to 4 feet are well known and commercially available. Such trees include a hollow main stem or trunk and a plurality of branches having simulated tree needles, usually shredded green polyvinyl chloride (PVC), mounted thereon. A plurality of fiber optic strands extend into and along the branches and have terminal ends near the tips of the branches and the needles. The fiber optic strands extend from the branches down through the center of the hollow main stem or trunk. The main stem or trunk is supported on a housing generally in the form of a container or pot having a socket in its upper end telescopically receiving the lower end of the main stem or trunk. A motor driven rotatable color wheel is mounted in the housing or pot and a halogen light is mounted under the color wheel so that the rotating color wheel will illuminate the ends of the fiber optic strands at the lower end of the main stem with different colors. The main stem or trunk must have a diameter sufficient to receive a large number of fiber optic strands which terminate at the lower end of the main stem or trunk.
In view of the size limitations of the main stem, presently available fiber optic Christmas trees are relatively small and usually have a maximum total length, including the supporting housing or pot of approximately 48 inches or less. Efforts to construct a taller tree, such as one 6, 7 or 8 feet tall, by using the techniques now available would necessarily result in an extremely large diameter main stem or trunk in view of the large number of fiber optic strands necessary to construct such a taller artificial Christmas tree with fiber optic changing color illumination. Accordingly, to date, artificial Christmas trees with changeable color fiber optic illumination having a height of 6, 7 or 8 feet are not available since the large number of fiber optic strands necessary in the construction of fiber optic artificial Christmas trees of greater heights results in an unsightly and undesirably large main stem or trunk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the panel construction of artificial Christmas trees without fiber optics having heights greater than about 4 feet, it is customary to provide a vertical main stem or trunk, usually hollow, supported by a stand at the lower end and having a socket at the upper end for telescopically and frictionally receiving a top section of the tree which is of integrated construction. Also, a plurality of downwardly and outwardly inclined panels are supported from the upper end of the main stem or trunk. Usually, each of the panels includes a substantially rigid member of wire terminating at its upper end in a downwardly opening hook which hooks into supporting holes in a plate or over a supporting ring at the upper end of the main stem or trunk. A ring is usually supported from the stem or trunk at a lower portion thereof with the ring supportingly engaging an intermediate portion of each of the panels to retain the panels in a conical configuration as a continuation of the top tree section. The top tree section and all of the panels have branches or stems with simulated needles attached thereto usually of shredded green PVC. The stems, branches or panels are somewhat bendable to enable them to be oriented in desired locations in order to provide a continuity to the external appearance characteristics of the artificial Christmas tree.
The present invention utilizes a structural arrangement similar to the conventional artificial tree described above. However, the structure is configured to provide changeable color fiber optic illumination of the tip end area of the needles at the outer ends of the branches or stems throughout the vertical and circumferential extent of the full tree from top to bottom. The integrated top tree section of the Christmas tree of this invention is similar to an existing small fiber optic Christmas tree. This top tree section includes a trunk having bendable branches or stems and PVC simulated needles permanently secured thereto. The branches are normally oriented in an upwardly and outwardly inclined relation to the top section trunk. Each of the branches or stems includes a large number of fiber optic strands with the strands extending to points adjacent the tip ends of the needles at the outer ends of the branches or stems and usually arranged in clusters. The fiber optic strands then extend downwardly in the top section trunk and terminate in exposed ends at the lower end of the top section trunk. The lower ends of the strands are then exposed to a motor driven rotatable color wheel and a light source on the opposite side of the color wheel from the fiber optic strands. The rotatable color wheel, drive motor and light source are positioned inside a supporting housing or pot. An electrical conductor and switch are connected with the motor and light source to selectively energize the same. Preferably, the motor is of reduced voltage such as 12 volts or more and the light source is a halogen light bulb or bulbs and the color wheel is a circular wheel with a plurality of radially extending, circumferentially spaced transparent color inserts which are sufficiently transparent and align with the bulb or bulbs as the wheel rotates to illuminate the exposed ends of the fiber optic strands with different colors to illuminate the fiber optic strands and change the colors of the tip ends of the fiber optic strands as the color wheel is rotated.
In the present invention, the necessity of extending a large number of fiber optic strands through a large main trunk when constructing a tall Christmas tree, such as 6 to 8 feet, is avoided. Instead, the supporting housing or pot into which extend the lower end of the fiber optic strands of the top section, is elevated and supported on the upper end of a pole or pipe. The pole or pipe serves as an elongated main trunk for the bottom section of the tree. The elongated main trunk has a stand at its bottom end with the housing or pot for the top tree section secured to the upper end. The elongated trunk is preferably hollow to provide passage of an insulated conductor for a source of electrical energy to the motor and light bulb in the elevated housing or pot.
In one embodiment of this invention, the housing or pot includes a pair of spaced, generally parallel plates each of which has a plurality of circumferentially spaced and aligned openings. The lower section of the Christmas tree below the integrated top section includes a plurality of branches or panels each of which includes a substantially rigid wire member having a down turned hook at its upper end. The down turned hook includes a terminal end portion which can be inserted through a pair of aligned openings in the plates thereby supporting each of the branches or panels in a downwardly, outwardly inclined relation. Each
DelGizzi Ronald E.
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
O'Shea Sandra
LandOfFree
Fiber optic Christmas tree does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Fiber optic Christmas tree, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fiber optic Christmas tree will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2906960