US2468773A - Illuminating device - Google Patents

Description

May 3, 1949. J. J. MUSINSKI I 2,468,773

ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed Nov. 7, 1945 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH J. MUS/NSK/ A T TORNEYS Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED S PATENT OFFICE ILLUMINATING DEVICE Joseph J. MusinskLBurbank, Calif.

Application November 7, 1945, Serial No. 627,259

10 Claims. 1

This invention is concerned with illuminating devices and more especially with devices for Christmas lighting and the like.

Heretoiore customary strings of lights for hristmas. trees andsiinilar purposes are somewhat cumbersom to place and, in storage, tend to become tangled and twisted, sometimes to such an extent that the insulation becomes broken, with consequent shock and fire hazards. Moreover, in many prior types, individual light sockets are adapted for attachment to "fragile branches of the tre and not infrequently become iniiastened and drop, with consequent bulb breakage and annoyance.

have developed an improved illuminating device for use on Christmas trees, etc. which substantially overcomes the foregoing dihficulties and which in its preferred forms is more decorative than prior types.

In accordance with invention I provide a ile ible spiral member or carrier for electric ligl'its. The carrier is capable of being expanded along its axis into helical shape but maybe collapsed into a flat form for storage, etc. The lights, or sockets for them, are mounted in spaced relationship along the spiral and one or more conductors to supply current are mounted along the spiral in electrical connection with the lights or sockets.

Preferably the carrier is in the form of a tube of insulating material with the conductor or conductors disposed within the tube. The lights or sockets are mounted along the tube onits or de and wires from the conductors pass throng holes in the tube at each light location to ply current.

.LllG carrier preferably is resilient so that it tends to collapse by itself into a flat spiral. In accordance with my invention, the necessary resilience may be obtained by making the carrier itself of a springy plastic or the like or by employing a helical spring of metal as reinforcement, preferably as a core in a tubular type of carrier.

In its preferred form, the carrier is apextrurled tube offire resistant plastic, say cellulose acetate, wound into a flat spiral. The carrier is disposed on the tree by placing it above the tree and co-axially therewith and pulling down the outer coils of the spiraluntil it assumes the'approximately conical or frusto conical configuration of the tree.

The lights on the carrier may be conneoted'in series with a single conductor or in parallel, employing two conductors. -Wires for attachment ploye to a lightingcircuit are brought out of one end of the spiral, preferably the outside end, in the form of a conventional extension.

The carriercmay be made of colored plastic, but preferably Ipreier to employ a hollow translucent plastic carrier, the inside of which is covered with a fluorescent coating so that the carrier glows when the lights are lit.

The tubular carrier may be of any desired.

cross-section but I prefer to employ a carrier should be individually insulated, lying in the tube side by side with the resilient core.

These and other features of my invention will be understood thoroughly through reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan'view of a preferred form of'the apparatus of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1 in collapsed or fiat'form;

Fi 3 is a diagram showing the apparatus in its extended helical dorm applied to a Christmas tree;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view through a preferred form of carrier showing a light socket mounted thereon with parallel conductors and a resilient or springy core;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View of another form of tubularcarrier with three separate conduits respectively for two conductors in parallel and a helical core;

Fig.6 is across-section of a simplified form of the carrieremploying a cylindrical tube of resilient plastic with a single conductor disposed therein; and

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the carrier of Fig. 6 showing the manner in which a socket may be series connected.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it willbe observed that theapparatus comprises a resilient tubular carrier it of cellulose acetate or the like wound in spiral form. A series of conventional light bulbs i i are mounted along the spiral. The light bulbs are disposed in conventional sockets i i A fastened to the carrier. The light bulbs may be placed at any convenient spacing; in Fig. 1 they are shown mounted approximately 45 degrees apart so that when the carrier is extended as in Fig. 3 the bulbs will be lined up in rows down the tree 54.

For convenience in handling, the outer coil of the spiral is fastened to the nearest interior coil as shown at i2 and a conventional insulated extension E3 of the conductors within the spiral is provided for attachment to a light circuit by means of a plug l3A.

A hook 36 at the center of the spiral and a second hook 3! at the outside of the spiral may be provided to hold it on the tree.

To consider Fig. 3 in detail, it will be observed that the carrier with its lights has been pulled down over the tree (4 to assume the form of a downwardly expanding helix carrying the lights, which pointed upward. If desired, the lights may be arranged to point at any other angle.

As previously noted, the lights may be connected in series or in parallel. A convenient form of carrier for parallel connection is illustrated in Fig, i. The carrier proper I5 is tubular and of oval cross-section and electrically insulating character with an ample interior space also of oval cross-section to accommodate an insulated wire IS, a second insulated wire H, and a springy metallic core 18. An electric light socket i9 is mounted on the carrier by means of clips 28, 2i fastened partially around the tube. The wires i6, H are connected to the carrier by conventional leads 32, 33 passed through holes in the tube wall.

The wires aid in holding the sockets to the carrier and in some cases the wires themselves may be sufiicient for this purpose. In other cases, it may be desirable to employ the clips shown or to aid the wires by means of a cementing material, which is compatible with the particular plastic, say cellulose acetate, employed for making the tube.

Fig. 5 illustrates in cross-section another preferred form of carrier. It is of oval section and is provided with three separate conduits. The central conduit carries the resilient core or spring 24 or" steel or the like. The two outer conduits respectively carry the wires 25, 26 for parallel connection of the lights. A light socket 21 is fastened to the outside of the carrier on its fiat upper portion by means of cement 28.

A simple form of the carrier and its enclosed wire is shown in Fig. 6. In this case the carrier 29 is a simple resilient plastic tube having a wall thickness such that the tube itself is sumciently resilient to collapse into a flat spiral. In this case the lights are connected in series and a single insulated conductor 35 is disposed within the tubular carrier, being connected to a socket 36 as shown in Fig.7.

For decorative purposes the inside of the tubular carrier of Figs. 6 and 7 is provided with a fluorescent coating 3'! of lacquer or the like. When the lights on the carrier are lit the tube glows with a pleasing effect.

The apparatus of the invention may be made in various sizes for application to various sizes and shapes of trees.

The apparatus may be used on structures other than trees but will find its major application to the latter.

I claim:

1. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises a spiral flexible member capable of being collapsed axially into substantially fiat form, a plurality of electrical light sockets fastened at spaced intervals along the spiral memher, and at least one electrical conductor extending along the spiral member and electrically connected with the holders.

2. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises a relatively flat spiral resilient member capable of being extended axiall into helical form, a plurality of electrical light holders fastened at spaced intervals along the spiral member, and at least one electrical conductor extending along the spiral member and electrically connected with the holders.

3. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises a relatively flat spiral flexible carrier in tubular form capable of being extended axially into helical form, a plurality of electrical light holders fastened at spaced intervals along the carrier, and at least one electrical conductor extending within the tubular carrier and electrically connected with the holders.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 provided with an insulated electrical wire extending from the outer end of the carrier for connection to an electrical current source.

5. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises a relatively flat spiral flexible tubular carrier capable of being extended axially into helical form, a plurality of electrical light holders fastened at spaced intervals along the spiral member, at least one electrical conductor extending within the tubular carrier and electrically connected with the holders, and a resilient spiral core disposed within the tubular carrier.

6. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises a relatively fiat spiral flexible member capable of being extended axially into helical form, a plurality of electrical light holders fastened at spaced intervals along the spiral member, at least one electrical conductor extending within the carrier in a separate conduit and electrically connected with the holders, and a resilient spiral core disposed within another conduit in the carrier.

'7. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises a relatively flat spiral flexible carrier in tubular iorm capable of being extended axially into helical form, a plurality of electrical light holders fastened at spaced intervals along the spiral member, a fluorescent coating disposed on the interior wall of the tubu lar carrier, and at least one electrical conductor extending within the carrier and electrically connected with the holders.

8. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises an elongated relatively flat spiral flexible tubular carrier capable of being extended axially into helical form, the crosssection of the carrier having a substantiall flat portion, a plurality of electrical light holders fastened at spaced intervals along the carrier on the flat portion thereof, and at least one electrical conductor extending within the carrier and electrically connected with the holders.

9. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises a relatively flat spiral resilient carrier constructed of tubing of electrically insulating character and capable of being extended axially into helical form, a plurality of electrical light holders fastened at spaced intervals along the carrier, and at least one electrical conductor 5 extending within the carrier and electrically connected with the holders.

10. In an illuminating device, the combination which comprises an elongated spiral flexible tubular carrier capable of being collapsed axially into substantially flat form, the tube being elongated in cross-section in a direction transverse to the axis of the spiral with a flat portion on a face transverse to the axis, a plurality of electrical light sockets fastened at spaced intervals along the carrier on the flat portion, and at least one electrical conductor extending within the carrier and electrically connected with the holders.

JOSEPH J. MUSINSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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