Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Plural load circuit systems – Serially connected load circuits
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-12
2004-07-20
DeBeradinis, Robert (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Plural load circuit systems
Serially connected load circuits
C307S037000, C315S18500S, C315S18500S, C315S122000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06765313
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
One of the most common uses of light strings is for decoration and display purposes, particularly during Christmas and other holidays, and more particularly for the decoration of Christmas trees, and the like. Probably the most popular light set currently available on the market, and in widespread use, comprises one or more strings of fifty miniature light bulbs each, with each bulb typically having an operating voltage rating of 2.5 volts, and whose filaments are connected in an electrical series circuit arrangement. If overall sets of more than fifty bulbs are desired, the common practice is to provide a plurality of fifty miniature bulb strings, with the bulbs in each string connected in electrical series, and with the plurality of strings being connected in a parallel circuit arrangement. As each bulb of each string is connected in series, when a single bulb fails to illuminate for any reason, the whole string fails to light and it is very frustrating and time consuming to locate and replace a defective bulb or bulbs. Usually many bulbs have to be checked before finding the failed bulb. In fact, in many instances, the frustration and time consuming efforts are so great as to cause one to completely discard and replace the string with a new string before they are even placed in use. The problem is even more compounded when multiple bulbs simultaneously fail to illuminate for multiple reasons, such as, for example, one or more faulty light bulbs, one or more unstable socket connections, or one or more light bulbs physically fall from their respective sockets, and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are presently available on the market place various devices and apparatuses for electrically testing an individual light bulb after it has been physically removed from its socket. Apparatus is also available on the market for testing Christmas tree light bulbs by physically placing an alternating current line voltage sensor in close proximity to the particular light bulb desired to be tested. However, such a device is merely an electromagnetic field strength detection device which many remain in an “on” condition whenever the particular Christmas tree light bulb desired to be tested is physically located in close proximity to another light bulb or bulbs on the Christmas tree.
In fact, light bulb manufacturers have also attempted to solve the problem of bad bulb detection by designing each light bulb in the string in a manner where by the filament in each light bulb is shorted whenever it burns out for any reason, thereby preventing an open circuit condition to be present in the socket of the burned-out bulb. However, in actual practice, it has been found that such short circuiting feature within the bulb does not always operate in the manner intended and the entire string will go out whenever a single bulb burns out.
In copending patent application Ser. No. 08/335,506, entitled CIRCUIT TESTER FOR CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHT SETS and filed on Nov. 7, 1994 by the same applicant as the instant application, there is disclosed therein a novel, hand held and battery operated device which is capable of testing each light bulb in a string without the necessity of removing the bulb from its socket, thereby readily locating the burned out bulb which caused the entire string of bulbs to go out.
Even though each of the foregoing techniques have met with some limited success, none of such devices and techniques have yet been able to further solve the additional problems of the entire string of lights going out as a direct result of either a defective socket, a light bulb being improperly placed in the socket, a broken or bent wire of a light bulb, or whenever a light bulb is either intentionally removed from its socket or is merely dislodged from its socket during handling or from movement after being strung on the Christmas tree, particularly in outdoor installations subject to wind or other climatic conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,382 utilizes a Zener diode connected in parallel with each series connected direct-current lamp used by trucks and other vehicles, particularly military trailers, for burn-out protection for the remaining bulbs whenever one or more bulbs burns out for some reason. It is stated therein that the use of either a single or a plurality of parallel connected Zener diodes will not protect the lamps against normal failure caused by normal current flows, but will protect against failures due to excessive current surges associated with the failure of associated lamps. No suggestion appears therein of any mechanism or technique which would provide a solution to the problem successfully achieved by applicant in a very simple and economical manner.
Various other attempts have heretofore been made to provide various types of shunts in parallel with the filament of each bulb, whereby the string will continue to be illuminated whenever a bulb has burned out, or otherwise provides an open circuit condition. However, to the knowledge of Applicant, none of such arrangements have ever become commercially feasible.
Typical of such arrangements are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. RE 34,717; 1,024,495; 2,072,337; 2,760,120; 3,639,805; 3,912,966; 4,450,382; 4,682,079; 4,727,449; 5,379,214; and 5,006,724, together with English patent 12,398; Swiss patent 427,021 and French patent 884,370.3
Of the foregoing prior art patents, the Fleck '449, Harnden '966, and the Swiss '021 patents appear, at first blush, to probably be the most promising in the prior art in indicating defective bulbs in a string by the use of filament shunt circuits and/or devices of various types which range from polycrystalline materials, to powders, and to metal oxide varistors, and the like, which provide for continued current flow through the string, but at either a higher or a lower level. The reason for this is because of the fact that the voltage drop occurring across each prior art shunt is substantially different value than the value of the voltage drop across the incandescent bulb during normal operation thereof. Some of these prior art shunts cause a reduced current flow in the series string because of too high of a voltage drop occurring across the shunt when a bulb becomes inoperable, either due to an open filament, a faulty bulb, a faulty socket, or simply because the bulb is not mounted properly in the socket, or is entirely removed or falls from its respective socket. However, other shunt devices cause the opposite effect due to an undesired increase in current flow. For example, when the voltage dropped across a socket decreases, then a higher voltage is applied to all of the remaining bulbs in the string, which higher voltage results in higher current flow and a decreased life expectancy of the remaining bulbs in the string. Additionally, such higher voltage also results in increased light output from each of the remaining bulbs in the string, which may not be desirable in some instances. However, when the voltage dropped across a socket increases, then a lower voltage is applied to all of the remaining bulbs in the series connected string, which results in lesser current flow and a corresponding decrease in light output from each of the remaining bulbs in the string. Such undesirable effect occurs in all of the prior art attempts, including those which, at first blush, might be considered the most promising techniques, especially the proposed use of a diode in series with a bilateral switch in the Fleck '449 patent, or the proposed use of a metal oxide varistor in the above Harnden '966 patent, or the use of the proposed counter-connected rectifiers in the Swiss '021 patent.
For example, in the arrangement suggested in the above Fleck '449 patent, ten halogen filled bulbs, each having a minimum 12-volt operating rating, are utilized in a series circuit. The existence of a halogen gas in the envelope, permits higher value current flow through the filament with the result that much brighter light is obtainable in a very small bulb size. Normally, when ten 12-vo
DeBeradinis Robert
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
JLJ, Inc.
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